"One student [Marty], the most daring and enterprising of the [social studies] class, listened to stereo rock music. His eyes were nearly closed and his limbs had to struggle to remain still rather than follow along with the beat, but he gladly accepted this limitation as his lips quietly formed the words of the song."

Little is known about Marty's childhood, except for the fact that he set the living room rug on fire when he was eight years old[3] and that he got a scar on his left knee from skateboarding down the courthouse steps when he was twelve.[4]

When Marty was still a child, his grandfather Arthur refused to take him to the zoo.[5]

Marty met his future girlfriend Jennifer Parker in elementary school, although they became less acquainted after the fourth grade.[6]

When Marty was fifteen, he sneaked out of the house one evening and set off on his skateboard to meet his friends. However, his mother heard the sound of the skateboard and went after Marty in the car.[7]

At some point, Marty became acquainted with Douglas J. Needles, who would frequently goad him into doing foolish things.[6]

Meeting Doc Brown

On October 2, 1982, Marty was playing his guitar in his garage when he was suddenly confronted by Needles and his gang, who wished to "borrow" Marty's interocitor tube. Needles was scheduled to play with his band, The Tabascos, that night. However, he had blown the interocitor tube in his guitaramplifier. Marty was willing to rent his interocitor tube to Needles for $5.00, but Needles replied that he would pay tomorrow when he would bring the tube back. However, Marty accidentally caused Needles to drop the tube when he forcefully grabbed Needles' arm and insisted to be payed upfront.

Marty was then told by Needles that he had to get him a new tube and bring it to the clocktower by four o'clock, or else Needles would beat him up. Marty was initially hesitant to agree, citing his lack of money and unwillingness to steal. However, he agreed when Needles goaded him by calling him "chicken". Needles then took Marty's guitar and told him he'd give it back when he got him a new tube.

Marty went to a music store and tried to buy one, but was told by the shop attendant that all of the stock was sold to ELB Enterprises. Marty left to go to Dr. Brown's garage to ask for one, but the attendant warned him that Dr. Brown was a real nut case.

Dr. Brown set a series of traps which Marty had to overcome to gain entrance to the garage. After getting an electrical shock after using the keypad on the electrified gate around the garage, a recording stated that he was not "one to foresee" that happening. Realizing that the wording was unusual, Marty picked up that it was a code, and punched in 1-2-4-C on the keypad. He tried to knock on the door, but no-one answered. After deciding not to break the window, he attempted to find more clues and found a key underneath an unusual KNOW ENTRY sign. Once inside, he set off elaborately set up series of objects that caused chain reaction resulting in him being captured in a net. He pushed his skateboard at the reset switch, which then released the net.

Marty's first meeting with Doc Brown

Einstein, Dr. Brown's dog, then playfully jumped up on Marty, and Dr. Brown himself then entered to greet his guest. He told Marty to call him Doc, as in "What's up, Doc!", and asked him if he was here to apply for the assistant position that he said he had advertised. Marty told him that he had, and Doc told him that he was impressed that he made his way through the traps, especially his decision to release the net with his skateboard.

Marty then admitted that he hadn't come to apply for a job, but had instead come for an interocitor tube. After Marty assured him that he hadn't intended to rob him, Doc admitted that he had never put out an advertisement for an assistant, but offered Marty the job anyway.

Doc told Marty that he threw out all of the tubes, as he only wanted the box for his Static-O-Matic electric hair chair. Marty then grabbed the tubes out of the trashcan, and went back to Needles. He gave Needles one of the tubes, and told him that he had stolen the tube from Dr. Emmett Brown. This resulted in Needles being scared, as he knew that Emmett Brown worked on the atomic bomb, and there were rumors that he was radioactive.[8][9]

Science Project

In September, 1984, Marty was in Doc's garage looking through boxes of inventions, and pulled out a pair of eye drop glasses, which Doc invented to make using eye drops easier for jittery people. Doc entered the lab with Einstein, carrying a book by Jules Verne, surprised to see Marty there. It had been a busy week, and he hadn't expected him that day.

Marty looking through Doc's inventions

Marty told Doc that he had been busy with band practice and he had a science project due the next day. He was hoping that Doc had something that he could use. Doc told him that he was not going to do his work for him, but said that he was free to borrow anything that he found in the lab.

Marty found a life sized statue of Neptune, which Doc said he picked up for a giant fish tank that he never got around to building. Around the statue's neck was an umbrella necktie, which Marty doubted would impress his teacher, Mrs. Zawadski.

Marty then picked up an electric hoe and a car battery. Doc told him that it was perfect for weeding, but since it used a lot of power, the user had to wear the battery. Marty put the battery on the floor and asks Doc what he was doing with the wire. Doc told him that he was disentangling it, which he found relaxing.

Marty then pricked his hand on a barbed alarm clock, which he guessed was barbed to prevent someone from hitting the snooze button. After Marty put on Mr. Sneeze, a wearable tissue dispenser on his head, he asked Doc for a tip on what he was looking for, which Doc said would defeat the point, as the essence of science is discovery.

At that point, the alarm went off, Einstein jumped on Doc, and the wire wrapped around the metal bar fell on the battery. It began to attract tools lying nearby, and Marty realized it was a magnet. Doc began to tell Marty that magnetism and electricity were thought to be two separate things until Albert Einstein's theory of relativity. However, Marty interrupted him to ask if he could borrow them for his school project.

Marty left Doc's garage and Doc told him that he would see him on Thursday. Doc also reminded Marty to bring a case of oil when he arrived.[10]

Dating Jennifer

On November 26, 1984, Marty re-introduced himself to Jennifer Parker, whom he hadn't been acquainted with since fourth grade. However, their conversation was interrupted by Needles, who pulled up in his Ford F-150 and then asked Jennifer out on a date. However, Jennifer refused his offer and Needles drove off after being slapped by his girlfriend, who was sitting beside him in the truck.

Marty was then told by Jennifer to look at the car, and, distracted, he told her that it was really something. This caused Jennifer to walk off in disgust, leaving Marty confused.

Marty made his way to Doc's garage, where Doc (unbeknownst to Marty) was working on the DeLorean time machine, which he hid from Marty when he arrived. Marty told Doc that he was having trouble talking to Jennifer, and that he was worried about what she thought of him, as Needles had a car and a license, and Marty let him walk all over him. Doc told Marty not to worry about what anyone thought of him. He said that advice had worked out for him, as he had everything in life that he needed, his dog, Einstein, and his inventions. Marty looked curiously at the car under the tarp, and left the garage.

The next day, Marty was playing a Wild Gunmanarcade game at 7-Eleven. He turned around, with the lightgun aimed at Jennifer. She jokingly raised her hands in the air, calling him Clint Eastwood, and telling him not to shoot. Marty was surprised that she likes Clint Eastwood, and the two began to bond, just as Needles entered.

He saw Marty and Jennifer together, and teased Marty, telling him that it was a classy place to take a date, as they had a combo deal on hot dogs and nachos.

Marty told Needles that he was not on a date, and Needles told him that he knew it was not a date. He told him that he was going to drive his girlfriend somewhere, bragging that he had a car and then left. Angered by Needles, Marty told Jennifer that he needed to go.

Marty headed to Doc's garage, intending to steal the DeLorean to try to impress Jennifer. When he arrived there, however, he had a change of heart, realizing that what he was about to do was wrong and started to head back. However, Needles was there with his girlfriend and a member of his gang. He thanked Marty for unlocking Doc's lab, and let him know that it was his intention to do so all along.

Marty tried to stop Needles, only to be punched in the eye. Fortunately, Doc arrived. He tipped a domino, setting off the elaborate security system, which dropped a bucket of paint on top of Needles.

Marty apologized to Doc for intending to take the DeLorean. Doc told him that he knew all about the troubles faced by the young, and told him that he knew that people needed to keep secrets. Marty asked Doc if his secret was a flying car, and Doc responded that it was not a bad idea, but it wasn't important, as what was important now was for Marty to not hide his feelings about Jennifer. Marty was afraid of rejection, but decided to follow Doc's advice.

Marty asked Jennifer out, and she said yes. They went to see a Clint Eastwood movie at the theater.[6]

First trip to 1955

Late for School

Marty standing in front of the amplifier.

On October 25, 1985, Marty visited Doc's garage, only to discover that neither Doc nor Einstein were there. Marty then proceeded to hook up his guitar to the giant amplifier that Doc had constructed. Marty then turned up the volume and overdrive knobs all the way and played a single "power chord", which resulted in him being suddenly thrown backwards into a bookcase and the speaker being blown out.

Immediately afterwards, Marty received a call, which turned out to be from Doc. He told Marty to meet him at Twin Pines Mall at 1:15 AM in order to assist him with his major breakthrough. He also warned Marty not to hook up into the amplifier due to a "slight possibility of overload", unaware that Marty had already done so. As Marty agreed to meet with Doc, all of the clocks in the garage started chiming 8 AM. Doc then revealed that this was part of an experiment and that the clocks were all exactly 25 minutes slow. Upon realizing that the time was actually 8:25 AM, Marty responded to Doc that he was late for school and headed out the door.

Marty being told by Strickland that Doc Brown is a "nutcase".

Shortly after arriving at school, Marty met up with Jennifer, who told him not to go through the main entrance as principal Strickland was looking for him and, if he got caught, it would be his fourth tardy slip in a row.

However, as they were trying to sneak their way to class, they got caught by Strickland, who presented them both with tardy slips. After finding out this was because Marty was at Doc's garage, he warned Marty not to hang around with Doc because he believed that Doctor Brown was a "nutcase". Then he noted that Marty's band, The Pinheads, were auditioning for the dance after school. Strickland informed Marty not to waste his time, calling him a slacker and telling him that "no McFly has ever amounted to anything in the history of Hill Valley." Marty responded by saying that history was going to change.

A Failed Audition

Marty auditioning for the Battle of the Bands with his band, the Pinheads.

After school was over, Marty and his band auditioned for the Battle of the Bands front of three adults and one student in the Hill Valley High School gymnasium. Their audition song was a hard rock version of The Power of Love, but the head judge told them to stop after playing just a short time, saying they were "too darn loud".

After failing the audition, Jennifer tried to convince Marty to send a tape of his band's music to a record company called R & G Records, reminding him of what Doc always said, that if he put his mind to it, he could accomplish anything. But Marty doubted that he could take another rejection, lamenting that he was starting to sound like his father, George. Jennifer, however, insisted that his father wasn't that bad, pointing out that he was letting Marty borrow his car tomorrow night in order to allow them to go camping by the lake that weekend.

Marty and Jennifer in Courthouse Square.

At that moment, Marty saw a Toyota 4X4 being delivered to Statler Toyota and vowed that someday, he would purchase that car. They briefly discussed how romantic it would be to ride in that car up to the lake. Jennifer then asked Marty about whether he had told his mother about their plans, to which Marty replied that he did not. Instead, he told her that he was going camping with friends, in order to avoid another lecture about how she didn't do such things in her youth, jokingly remarking that his mother was born a nun. Jennifer stated that his mother was just trying to keep him respectable, to which he responded by saying that she wasn't doing a good job and closing in for a kiss.

However, before they could kiss, they were interrupted by a lady who represented the Hill Valley Preservation Society, who asked them for a contribution to keep the broken clock tower as is and impede Mayor Wilson in his plans to replace the clock. An irritated Marty donated a quarter to appease her and was, in turn, handed a flyer.

After the woman left, Marty and Jennifer tried to kiss again, only to be interrupted once more. This time by Jennifer's father, who had come to pick her up. As Jennifer prepared to leave, Marty promised to call her. Jennifer was going to be at her grandmother's house that evening, so she wrote down her grandmother's telephone number (555-4823), along with "I love you!", on the back of his "Save the Clock Tower" flyer.

Dinner with the family

Marty lamenting the fact that his plans for tomorrow night had been ruined.

Upon arriving back home, Marty discovered that his father's car had been totaled by George's supervisor, Biff Tannen, who had wrecked the car whilst drinking and driving (at the same time!). Biff, however, blamed George by claiming the car had a blind spot, and forced him to pay up to have his suit dry-cleaned as he had spilt beer over himself in the crash.

After telling George to finish up his reports and hand them over to him the following day, Biff left. Marty confronted his father about the fact that his plans for tomorrow night had been ruined and that Biff was to blame. George conceded that Marty was right, but stated that Biff was his supervisor and that he wasn't very good at confrontations. All he could say was that he was sorry.

Marty having dinner with his family.

Later, at dinner, Marty was told by George that he was better off without having to worry about all the aggravation and headaches of playing at the dance, to which his brother Dave agreed. Marty and his siblings were then informed by their mother that their uncle, "Jailbird" Joey, didn't make parole again and she said it would be nice if they all dropped him a line. After Dave left for work, Marty was told by his sister Linda that, while he was outside pouting over the car, Jennifer had called him twice.

This prompted their mother Lorraine to remark that she didn't like Jennifer, stating that any girl who called a boy was just asking for trouble. After Linda asked how she was supposed to meet someone, Lorraine replied that it would simply just happen, retelling the story of she fell in love with their father after he was hit by her father's car after falling out of a tree while "birdwatching" and how they had their first kiss at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance the following week.

The world's first temporal displacement

Shortly after midnight, a sleeping Marty was awoken at 12:28 AM by a phone call from Doc, who asked whether Marty had fallen asleep, which Marty denied. Doc then told Marty that he had forgotten to bring his video camera and asked Marty to pick it up on his way to the mall, which he agreed to do.

Upon arriving at the mall at 1:16 AM, technically one minute late, Marty saw Doc's van at the parking lot and made his way towards it. After petting Einstein, who was sitting near the van, Marty witnessed the van open up and a DeLorean DMC-12 emerge from it. Doc, after exiting the DeLorean, was happy see that Marty had made it to the mall. Doc explained that his latest experiment was "the big one", the one which he had been waiting for all his life. Although Marty had several questions, Doc promised to answer them all later and told him to start filming the demonstration.

Marty and Doc stand in the fire trails left behind by the DeLorean on the first test

After introducing himself, the location and the exact date and time, Doc placed Einstein into the car and showed Marty that his and Einstein's clock were the same time (at that moment 1:19 AM). With a remote control device, Doc operated the car from a distance and sent it to the far end of the parking lot. Marty and Doc then ran to a spot where the car would intersect them. He then revved it up to 62 mph with the brakes on and released the brakes. As the car accelerated towards them, Marty began to step out of the way, but was then pulled back by Doc, who told him to "watch this". At precisely 88 mph, at precisely 1:20:00, the car seemingly exploded into dust and fire trails blazed around Doc and Marty at their feet.

Marty looked in shock as the license plate, OUTATIME, spun and landed, believing that Einstein was vaporized. Doc explained to him that Einstein was fine and had just become the world's first time traveler, having been sent exactly one minute into the future. Marty then questioned the idea of building a time machine out of a DeLorean, to which Doc replied that if one was going to build a time machine into a car, then why not do it with some style. Doc also mentioned that the stainless steel construction of the vehicle was beneficial in some way to the flux dispersal, but didn't get to fully explain as his watch beeped, signaling that the DeLorean was going to return in a few seconds.

The car suddenly appeared where Marty and Doc had been standing and screeched to a halt as a frozen shell. Supercooled from traveling through time, the gullwing door was troublesome for Doc to open while using his hands. Inside the car, Einstein was unharmed, much to the surprise of Marty. The two clocks were exactly one minute in difference as well (1:20 and 1:21 AM) and Einstein's was still ticking. Doc then showed Marty the interior and its controls.

While inputting dates on the keypad, Doc used July 4, 1776 (the date the American Declaration of Independence was signed) and December 25, 0000 (the date of the birth of Christ) as examples, before inputting "a red-letter date in the history of science", November 5, 1955. Doc then explained that, on that day, he was hanging up a clock whilst standing on the edge of his toilet, slipped on the wet porcelain, hit his head on the sink and, when he came to, had a revelation, a picture in his head of the Flux Capacitor, which is what made time travel possible. From there, he left the cockpit of the DeLorean and reminisced about the past, particularly about Old Man Peabody owning the land that was now Twin Pines Mall and his pine tree farm.

Marty then asked Doc whether the car ran on regular unleaded gasoline, to which Doc replied that the car required something more powerful, namely plutonium. Marty, slightly panicked, then asked Doc if the car was nuclear, which Doc denied, saying that the car was electrical, but that a nuclear reaction was required in order to generate the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity needed for time travel. Marty then pointed out that one couldn't just walk into a store and buy plutonium and asked Doc whether he had ripped it off. Doc revealed that he had, from a group of Libyan Nationalists. He explained that they wanted him to build them a bomb, but instead he gave them a shiny bomb case filled with used pinball machine parts. Afterwards, Marty and Doc donned radiation suits and inserted another vial of plutonium into the plutonium chamber in preparation for Doc's own jump into the future.

Upon learning that Doc intended to travel 25 years into the future, Marty asked him to come look him up when he got there, which Doc promised he would.

Escape to the Past

However, before Doc got the chance to depart, Einstein's barking alerted him and Marty to an approaching van in the distance, revealing that the Libyans had found him. As the Libyans opened fire on them, Marty was told to run for it whilst Doc would draw their fire. Unfortunately, Doc's pistol jammed and he was subsequently shot with an assault rifle by the terrorists.

Horrified by Doc's death, Marty inadvertendly drew the terrorists' attention towards himself by yelling at them and was nearly gunned down. Fortunately, the terrorists' gun jammed, giving Marty enough time to run into the DeLorean and try to escape.

Marty being chased by the Libyan terrorists.

During the chase, Marty accidentally turned on the time circuits (still set to November 5, 1955) while shifting, and, as he avoided being destroyed by a rocket-propelled grenade, he sped up to 88 and entered temporal displacement. Suddenly, Marty went from a mall parking lot in 1985, to a field in 1955, and the DeLorean crashed into a scarecrow and then the Peabodys' barn.

For a moment, Marty was stunned, and the Peabody family ran from their house to the barn to investigate. Believing that the vehicle was from another world, they screamed in horror as Marty lifted the gullwing door and stepped out, dressed in a radiation suit. Marty was almost shot from the buckshot of Peabody's shotgun, ran back to the safety of the time machine, floored the accelerator, and smashed through the doors of the barn. After escaping from Peabody's shotgun, the car ran over one of the two pines that Peabody had been growing. This was the first effect of Marty's trip into the past that would alter the future ("Twin Pines Mall" would become "Lone Pine Mall").

Marty seeing the future site of Lyon Estates.

Marty pulled the DeLorean onto a highway that ran by the future site of Lyon Estates. He immediately stopped and viewed the undeveloped land stretch far out into the distance, questioning whether or not it was a dream. A meter in the DeLorean indicated that it was out of plutonium, and the car shut down. Marty failed to get it running again and decided to hide the DeLorean behind the Lyon Estates sign, covered by a few shrubs, and walked the two miles to town.

Rewriting History

Upon arriving into town, where he discovered the date on a newspaper, Marty went inside Lou's Cafe. After a brief exchange in which Lou mistook Marty's down vest for a life preserver, Marty said he wanted to use the phone, and Lou pointed him towards the back. After finding Doc's name and address in the phone book, Marty ripped out the page. However, when he tried to ask Lou for directions to the address, an annoyed Lou asked him whether he was gonna order something. Taking a seat, Marty first tried to order a Tab, but Lou mistakenly thought he wanted a restaurant bill. Marty then tried to order a Pepsi Free, and Lou misinterpreted it as him asking for a free Pepsi. Frustrated, Marty simply asked for something without any sugar in it.

Marty sees his father 30 years younger.

At that moment, Biff Tannen and his gang entered the cafe and started bullying George, who had been sitting next to Marty. Marty witnessed a very familiar conversation in which Biff made George promise to finish Biff's homework and hand it over to him the following morning. During this exchange, one of the members of Biff's gang, Skinhead, noticed Marty's vest and, thinking it was a life preserver, mockingly suggested that Marty thought he was gonna drown. After Biff left, Marty stared at George, prompting George to ask him who he was. However, their conversation was interrupted by Goldie Wilson, one of Lou's employers, who told George to stand up for himself. Goldie used himself as an example, stating that he was going to night school and, one day, be somebody. This prompted Marty to accidentally say that Goldie was gonna be mayor, which seemed to inspire Goldie. Marty then noticed that George had left the cafe and was riding away on his bike, and chased after him.

Marty is hit by Sam Baines and alters history.

Marty eventually managed to track George down and found him up a tree, watching Lorraine Baines undress through his binoculars. Marty remarked disapprovingly that George was a "peeping tom" and watched as George lost his grip and nearly fell. George then dropped to the street in the path of an oncoming car and Marty ran towards him and pushed him out of the way, getting hit by the car instead and falling unconscious.

Marty woke up almost 9 hours later, initially assuming that he was back at home and that his recent time traveling had been a dream. However, he quickly discovered that he really was in 1955 when a young Lorraine turned on the lights and referred to him as "Calvin". After briefly making note of Lorraine's thinnes and discovering that she had removed his pants, Marty asked her why she kept calling him Calvin. She stated that she saw the name "Calvin Klein" printed all over his underwear and assumed it was his name. He stated that people called him Marty, which made Lorraine assume that "Calvin Marty Klein" was his full name. Over the course of their conversation, Lorraine had been repeatedly flirting with Marty, much to his alarm. Fortunately, Lorraine's mother, Stella, called out to her, prompting Lorraine to toss Marty his pants and run out of the room, allowing him to put them back on.

As Marty came downstairs from Lorraine's bedroom, her mother asked how long he would be in port, and that she guessed he was a sailor because he wore a life preserver. Since she was the third person that day who had mistaken his red down vest for a life preserver, Marty mentioned the Coast Guard as an alibi.

Marty having dinner with the Baines family.

During dinner with Lorraine's family, Marty confused them by first by saying that his family owned two television sets, which was unusual in 1955, and then by claiming to have already seen the episode of The Honeymooners ("The Man from Space") on TV even though it was brand new. When Lorraine's mother remarked that he looked very familiar, she asked him whether she knew his mother. Marty claimed that she did indeed know his mother, but when she suggested calling, he said that nobody was home. Marty then asked for directions to Riverside Drive. Upon being told the directions, Marty remarked that the street's name was "John F. Kennedy Drive", which confused Lorraine's father.

Lorraine then suggested that, since Marty's parents were out of town, he should spend the night at their house. However, when she suggested that he could sleep in her room and started stroking his leg, Marty quickly got up, told them he had to go, thanked them for their hospitality and then left.

Convincing Doc

Marty being greeted by Doc, wearing his brain-wave analyzer, at the door.

Upon arriving at Doc's mansion and knocking on the door, Marty was dragged inside the house by a young Doc, who wished to test his latest invention on him. Although Marty tried to explain who he was, Doc insisted that he not tell him anything about himself in order to test the effectiveness of the device. After Doc had made several guesses regarding where Marty came from and why he was here, Marty finally explained who he really was and that he needed Doc's help to return to 1985.

However, Doc, after expressing frustration at his invention seemingly not working, did not believe Marty's claims of being a time traveler. Marty tried to convince him by showing that the expiry date of his driver's license was 1987 and that, according to his birthday, he hadn't even been born yet. Marty then showed him a photograph of him and his siblings, pointing out that his sister's sweatshirt read "class of '84". Unfortunately, Doc dismissed the picture as mediocre "photographic fakery", stating that they had cut off his brother's hair.

When Marty insisted that Doc believe him, Doc asked who was gonna be President of the United States in 1985. Marty answered that it was gonna be Ronald Reagan, but Doc scoffed at the idea that an actor was gonna be President. Marty then pursued Doc as the latter ran towards his garage, mockingly suggesting that various celebrities would similarly be in government positions by 1985.

Fortunately, Marty finally managed to convince Doc by telling him the story of how he got the bruise on his head earlier that day and had a vision of the Flux Capacitor. The two then went out to recover the DeLorean. After Doc showed Marty the picture he drew of the flux capacitor after he hit his head, Marty opened the car door and turned on the flux capacitor, which resulted in Doc being overjoyed at the knowledge that he had finally invented something that worked. The two then snuck the car back into Doc's laboratory and started formulating a plan to get Marty back home.

Formulating a Plan

Marty hooks the JVC camcorder to Doc's second television set in the garage, enabling them to watch the tape of the events at Twin Pines Mall.

Upon returning to Doc's lab, Marty hooked up his camcorder to Doc's television and they watched the tape of the events at Twin Pines Mall. Whilst watching the tape, Doc asked what his older self was wearing, which Marty explained was a radiation suit, causing Doc to incorrectly assume that it was due to fallout from atomic wars. Shortly after, Doc was horrified when the recording of his future self explained that the flux capacitor required 1.21 gigawatts to function and ran into his study.

Marty followed Doc, who was sitting in his chair and lamenting his carelessness in making the flux capacitor require so much electricity. Marty remarked that all they needed was a little plutonium, but Doc stated that plutonium was hard to come by in 1955 and regretfully told Marty that he was stuck in this time period. Marty, however, refused to accept that, informing Doc about his girlfriend Jennifer and showing him the back of his flyer on which she had written her message and her grandmother's phone number.

Doc replied that the only source of electricity capable of generating that much power would be a bolt of lightning, but lamented that nobody ever knew when or where lightning would strike. Marty then remembered that the flyer also featured the news story about a bolt of lightning that would strike the clock tower on Saturday night, November 12, 1955, on 10:04 PM.

Doc proclaiming that their plan would successfully send Marty back to the future.

Doc believed that he could find a way to harness the bolt's power, channel it into the flux capacitor and ultimately send Marty back to 1985. An excited Marty then suggested that Doc could perhaps show him around town while he waited. However, Doc stopped him mid-sentence and insisted he stay inside of his house during the week ahead. He explained that Marty had to avoid contact with anyone else, as everything he did could have serious repercussions on future events. After Doc asked Marty if he had interacted with anyone else that day besides him, Marty admitted that he had run into his parents. Doc then rechecked the photograph of Marty and his siblings, and realized that the head of the firstborn son Dave was missing, having been erased from existence.

Discovering a Paradox

The following day, Marty and Doc went to Hill Valley High School in order to think up a plan to get George and Lorraine to fall in love. After Marty remarked that the school was cleaner and looked brand new compared to his time, Doc explained his theory that Marty's interference in his parents' first meeting had resulted in his existence being jeopardized, with Dave disappearing first, then Linda and finally Marty himself if they didn't think of a plan. Marty remarked that the situation was "Heavy", confusing Doc, who remarked that weight had nothing to do with it.

They later saw George in the hallway, being bullied by his classmates and subsequently berated and called a slacker by Principal Strickland, who, Marty remarked, didn't seem to have ever had hair, aside from a small fringe which he no longer had by 1985.

After being asked by Doc what Lorraine ever saw in George, Marty guessed that she felt sorry for him after her father hit George with his car. Doc identified it as the Florence Nightingale effect, which happened in hospitals when nurses fell in love with their patients. After receiving brief encouragement from Doc, Marty went up to George and formally introduced himself.

Marty then tried to introduce George to Lorraine, but unfortunately Lorraine didn't pay any attention to George, instead showing interest in Marty and asking him whether his head still hurt. Marty said that it didn't and Lorraine told him she had been worried ever since he ran off the other night. Lorraine then asked him if he was okay, but before Marty could answer, the school bell rang and Lorraine had to leave.

Marty and Doc standing in front of a poster for the Enchantment Under the Sea dance.

Marty was then informed by Doc, who had been observing their conversation from a distance, that the situation was more serious than they previously thought. Doc explained that Lorraine was now infatuated with Marty instead of his father, much to Marty's discomfort. Doc stated that the only way for George and Lorraine to get together was if they were alone together and suggested that Marty had to get them to interact at some sort of social event, like a date. Unfortunately, Marty had no idea how to arrange a date for them, as he didn't know what people in the '50s did. Doc remarked that Marty, being their son, had to know his parents on at least some level. After being asked by Doc what his parents' common interests were and what they liked to do together, Marty answered that, as far as he knew, they had nothing in common.

Fortunately, Doc then saw a poster of the upcoming Enchantment Under the Sea dance, which Marty recalled was where George and Lorraine had their first kiss. Marty was then instructed by Doc to stick to his father like glue and make sure he took Lorraine to the dance.

Playing Matchmaker

Marty sat with George in the cafeteria and tried to talk with him about Lorraine, but then noticed that George was writing something and asked him what it was. George revealed that he was writing science fiction stories about visitors coming down to Earth from other planets, which surprised Marty, as he had no idea his father ever did anything creative. Marty asked if he could read some of them, but George refused and said that he never let anybody read his stories. Curious, Marty asked him why not, and George revealed that he feared that his stories wouldn't be liked and being told that he wasn't any good at writing. After George stated that such a thing would be pretty hard for somebody to understand, Marty, understanding how George felt, stated that it was not hard at all.

Marty then switched the topic back to Lorraine, telling George that she really liked him and had told Marty to tell George that she wanted him to ask her to the Enchantment Under the Sea dance, much to George's surprise. Marty told George that all he had to do was go up to her and ask her. But George was hesitant, worried that she might say no and unsure if he could take that kind of rejection.

George then noted that he thought Lorraine would rather go with somebody else, pointing towards Biff, who was harassing her. Angered, Marty walked up to Biff and forcibly seperated him from Lorraine, telling him to get his hands off of her. Although slightly intimidated by Biff's height, Marty was still willing to fight against him. Fortunately, Strickland's presence prevented a fight from breaking out, with Biff saying that he was cutting Marty a break since he was new and telling him to get out of there. Marty then realized that George had left during the commotion.

George telling Marty that neither he, nor anyone else on the planet, could change his mind about not going to the dance.

Marty pursued George as he was on his way home, which prompted an annoyed George to ask him why he was following him around. Marty stated that if George did not ask Lorraine out to the dance, he would regret it for the rest of his life. But George insisted that he couldn't go to the dance, stating that he would miss his favorite television program, Science Fiction Theatre.

Marty insisted that Lorraine wanted to go with him and asked George to give her a break. George, however, insisted that he was not ready to ask Lorraine out to the dance and that not Marty or anybody else on the planet could make him change his mind. Looking at his family picture, Marty saw that Dave had almost completely faded away. Fortunately, the mention of Science Fiction Theatre did give Marty an idea.

Marty posing as "Darth Vader".

Marty devised a plan to scare George into taking Lorraine to the dance, donning his radiation suit, a hair dryer, and his Walkman with a tape of Eddie Van Halen. Marty visited George in the middle of the night, waking him up by putting headphones on him and playing the tape. Marty claimed that he was "Darth Vader", an extraterrestrial from the "planet Vulcan". Marty threatened to melt George's brain if he did not ask out Lorraine, which finally caused George to agree to ask her out. Marty then used chloroform to put George to sleep, unfortunately, this caused George to oversleep for most of the next day.[11]

Skateboard Chase

George taking notes of Marty's advise.

That afternoon, Marty saw a shaken George run towards him in Courthouse Square, and remarked that he hadn't been at school. After George told him of his encounter and that he had overslept, Marty told George to keep the "Darth Vader" story to himself and told him that Lorraine was in Lou's Cafe. Approaching the cafe, Marty pointed out Lorraine and told George to just go in there and invite her. George was willing, but didn't know what to say. Marty told him to just say anything, whatever's natural, the first thing that came to his mind. But George replied that nothing was coming to his mind, prompting Marty to reply that it was a wonder he was ever born, to George's confusion. Marty then told George to tell Lorraine that destiny had brought them together and that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Marty then noticed that George was writing down what he was saying, referring to it as "good stuff".

Marty then sent George inside of the cafe and watched him as he was asking out Lorraine. Unfortunately, they were interrupted by Biff, who remarked that he had earlier told George never to come in there and demanded that George pay him for doing so. As Biff was walking towards George, Marty tripped him. After Biff stood back up and started threatening him, Marty distracted him by pointing to something supposedly behind him. As soon as Biff looked, Marty punched him in the face and knocked down his gang as he ran outside.

Marty giving the skateboard back to the children.

Once outside, Marty ran to a couple of children on soapbox scooters, borrowing one and pulling off the crate to create a makeshift skateboard. Marty was nearly caught by Biff and his gang, but managed to grab onto the back of a passing truck. However, Biff and his gang managed to catch up in Biff's car and tried to ram Marty into the truck, forcing him to move to the side. Unfortunately, Marty saw that a man was getting out of his car in Marty's path. This forced Marty to take a right turn to the steps of the Courthouse and caused him to crash into a man and a woman who had exitted the building. Although Marty quickly managed to get back on the skateboard, Biff and his gang caught up to him, which resulted in Marty holding onto the front bumper of Biff's car. Marty held onto the car as Biff drove it back onto the street and towards a manure truck, intending to ram Marty into it. Fortunately, Marty managed to escape by running up on the car's hood, over the seats and jumping down onto the skateboard as it passed underneath the car. The resulting confusion resulted in Biff and his gang crashing into the manure truck. Afterwards, Marty gave the skateboard back to the children, thanking them for letting him borrow it.

Finalizing Plans

Marty returned to Doc's lab and found him rewatching the tape of the events at Twin Pines Mall. Doc quickly turned it off upon realizing that Marty was there, remarking that the camera was a fascinating device. Marty then tried to tell Doc about what happened that night after they made that tape, but Doc insisted that Marty not tell him, stating that no man should know too much about their own destiny. Marty said that Doc didn't understand, but Doc insisted that he did. Doc stated that if he knew too much about his own future, he could endanger his own existence the same way that Marty had endangered his, to which Marty agreed.

Marty being shown Doc's demonstration model of downtown.

Marty then watched as Doc showed him his plan for sending him home using a demonstration model of Courthouse Square. Doc apologized for the crudity of the model, noting that he didn't have time to build it to scale or paint it, although Marty assured him that the model was good. Doc explained that they would run some industrial strength electrical cable from the top of the clocktower down to suspending it over the street between two lamp posts. Meanwhile, Doc had outfitted the vehicle with a big pole and hook which ran directly into the flux capacitor. At the calculated moment, Marty would start off from down the street driving toward the cable accelerating to 88 miles per hour. According to the flyer, at precisely 10:04 PM that Saturday night, lightning would strike the clocktower, electrifying the cable just as the connecting hook made contact, thereby sending the necessary 1.21 gigawatts into the flux-capacitor, sending Marty back to 1985.

Marty was then given a toy car by Doc to help with the demonstration by winding and releasing it from down the street while Doc simulated the lightning by hooking up to a power source and pointing an alligator clip to the pole at top of the clocktower. The result was an explosion at the model table, which set the toy car on fire. The toy car then drove off the table and towards a large cloth, setting it on fire. Marty watched as Doc gasped in panic and ran to put out the fire with an extinguisher, sarcastically remarking that Doc instilled him with a lot of confidence. Doc, however, told him not to worry, saying that he would take care of the lightning and Marty should take care of his father. Doc then asked Marty how things went that day and whether George had asked Lorraine out. Marty said that he thought so and Doc asked him what she had said. However, at that moment, they heard someone knocking at the door.

After Doc checked the door and stated that it was Lorraine, Marty helped him cover up the DeLorean with a tarpaulin. After Doc let Lorraine in, Marty asked her how she knew he was there. Lorraine revealed that she had followed him and Marty quickly introduced Doc to her as his uncle. Lorraine then asked Marty if he would ask her to the dance. Confused, Marty asked if nobody had asked her, which she confirmed. Marty then asked her about George, and Lorraine admitted that, although she thought he was kinda cute, she believed a man should be strong in order to stand up for himself and protect the woman he loved. She asked him if he agreed, and Marty awkwardly answered yes.

Later on, Marty visited George at his house and made a plan to get him and Lorraine together. George complained that he still didn't understand how he was supposed to go to the dance with her if she was already going to the dance with Marty. Marty replied that Lorraine did want to go to the dance with George, but just didn't know it yet. He explained that they had to show her that George was a fighter, somebody who was gonna stand up for himself and protect her. George, however, pointed out that he had never picked a fight in his entire life. Marty corrected him by explaining that he was not gonna be picking a fight, but instead would be coming to Lorraine's rescue.

Marty and George rehearsing their plan.

They then went over the plan again. At 8:55 PM, George would be at the dance and Marty would be in the car with Lorraine. Around 9:00 PM, she was gonna get very angry with Marty. George questioned why she would be angry with him and Marty explained that nice girls get angry when guys take advantage of them. Surprised, George asked if Marty was planning to get physical with Lorraine, but Marty assured him that it would all be just an act and then continued explaining the plan. At 9:00 PM, George would be strolling through the parking lot, see them struggling in the car, walk up to it, open the door and say his line. Marty then reminded George of his line, which he then said. George questioned him on whether he ought to swear and Marty stated that he definitely should before continuing. George would come up, punch Marty in the stomach, laying him out for the count, and he and Lorraine would live happily ever after.

George remarked that Marty made it sound so easy, but said that he wished that he wasn't so scared. Marty encouraged him by saying that there was nothing to be afraid of and that all it took was a little self-confidence. Marty then repeated Doc's phrase, telling George that if he put his mind to it, he could accomplish anything.

Writing a Letter

On the night of November 12, 1955, Marty and Doc were at Courthouse Square, making final preparations for Marty's date with Lorraine and his return trip to 1985 respectively. Marty was changing clothes and borrowing Doc's car while Doc was setting up the cable and DeLorean. Doc questioned Marty on whether he was sure about the storm after hearing the radio predict a mostly clear night with some scattered clouds, which prompted Marty to ask since when the weatherman could predict the weather, let alone the future.

Marty was then told by Doc how he would be very sad to see him go, as Marty had really made a difference in his life and given him something to shoot for. Doc expressed happiness at knowing that he would be around to see 1985, succeed at building a time machine and have a chance to travel through time. He continued by saying that it was going to be really hard to wait 30 years to talk to Marty about everything that had happened within the past few days. He then told Marty that he was really going to miss him, Marty replied that he was really going to miss Doc as well before once more trying to tell him about the future.

Marty writing his letter to Doc.

Unfortunately, Doc still refused to hear about it, stating that they had already agreed that having information about the future could be extremely dangerous. He stated that even if Marty's intentions were good, they could backfire drastically. Doc then told him that whatever Marty had to tell him, he would find out through the natural course of time.

Later, in Lou's Cafe, Marty wrote a letter to Doc on a stationary, warning him that, on the night Marty went back in time, he would be shot by terrorists. He instructed him to take whatever precautions necessary to prevent this terrible disaster. He then sealed the letter in an envelope marked Do not open until 1985. Marty then placed the letter in Doc's coat pocket and left to go pick up Lorraine.

The Big Date

Marty expressing astonishment that Lorraine smoked.

Marty drove Lorraine to the school parking lot and nervously asked her whether she would mind if they parked for awhile. To Marty's surprise, Lorraine said that it was a great idea and stated that she loved to park. Noticing Marty's confusion, Lorraine remarked that she was almost 18 and revealed to him that she had, in fact, parked before. Lorrained then noted that Marty seemed nervous and asked if something was wrong, which he denied. Marty then saw Lorraine drink a bottle of alcohol and quickly took it from her, asking her what she was doing. Lorraine said that she had swiped it from her mother's liquor cabinet, prompting Marty to state that she shouldn't drink. Lorraine asked him why not and Marty answered that she might regret it later in life. Lorraine told Marty to not be such a square and that everybody who was anybody drank, which prompted Marty to take a gulp from the bottle. However, he then noticed her lighting a cigarette, which caused him to spit the alcohol back out and exclaim his surprise at her smoking as well, prompting Lorraine to remark that Marty was beginning to sound just like her mother.

Lorraine then said that, when she had children, she would allow them do anything they wanted, anything at all. This prompted to Marty to remark that he would like to have that in writing. Marty then saw that Lorraine had taken off her coat, showing a low-cut dress, and quickly looked away. When Lorraine finally asked him why he was so nervous, Marty asked her if she had ever been in a situation where she had to act a certain way but when she got there, she didn't know if she could go through with it. Lorraine thought he meant how he was supposed to act on a first date, which Marty nervously said was sort of the case. She stated that she knew exactly what he meant and asked him if he knew what she did in those situations. Marty asked her what it was that she did, she replied that she didn't worry and kissed him, much to his panic.

Fortunately, Lorraine quickly broke the kiss and backed away, saying that it was all wrong. She said that she didn't know what it was, but when kissing Marty, she felt like she was kissing her brother. She remarked that it didn't make any sense, but Marty assured her that it made perfect sense.

At that moment, Lorraine told him that someone was coming. The car door was opened and Marty was roughly pulled out of the car by a drunk and angry Biff, who accused him of causing 300 dollars damage to his car and that he was gonna take it out on him. Marty was then restrained by Biff's gang while Biff started forcing himself on Lorraine in the car, ordering the gang to take Marty out back and that he would be there soon. Marty was then punched in the stomach by Match and subsequently carried away and locked up in the trunk of a Cadillac. Fortunately, the car belonged to Reginald, the drummer of the Starlighters, who had been having a smoke break along with the rest of the band inside the car. After the musicians chased Biff's gang off, Marty informed them that the keys were inside of the trunk, which forced their lead vocalist, Marvin Berry, to pry open the trunk with a screwdriver instead. Although they eventually managed to open the trunk, Marvin badly cut his left hand in the process.

Marty backstage with Marvin and the Starlighters, insisting that they had to play.

Finally free, Marty tossed the keys to Reginald and ran back to the car, arriving just in time to witness George knocking Biff out with one punch, finally standing up to a bully for the first time in his life. He then saw George help Lorraine off the ground and escort her inside of the school. Checking his family photograph, Marty discovered that his existence was still in danger, as Linda was disappearing as well, and quickly ran back to the band. Upon finding them, Marty told them that they had to go back inside and finish the dance, but they told him that Marvin couldn't play the guitar due to his injured hand and they couldn't play without him. However, Marty insisted that they had to play, otherwise he would be history. But Marvin stated that the dance was over, unless Marty knew someone else who could play the guitar.

Mission Accomplished

Marty on stage during Earth Angel.

Marty joined the dance band onstage to ensure his future existence, playing Earth Angel and providing a romantic atmosphere for his parents so they could kiss. All was almost lost, however, when Mark Dixon jumped in between George and Lorraine, with Marty forgetting how to play the guitar and starting to fade away much like his brother and sister in the photo. George, however, returned and pushed Dixon away, finally kissing Lorraine and restoring Marty and his siblings back into existence. When George waved at him, Marty waved back, happy to see that his hand, which had been fading away moments earlier, had been fully restored.

Marty playing Johnny B. Goode.

His existence assured, Marty finished the song. Although Marvin asked him to do another one, Marty said that he had to go. However, he was quickly pursuaded to do another one and announced to the audience that the song was an oldie, at least where he came from. Marty then explained to the band that the song was a Blues Riff in B and that they had to watch him for the changes and try to keep up. Marty then started playing Johnny B. Goode. While Marty was playing the song, Marvin phoned his cousin, Chuck Berry, who at the time was looking for a "new sound", Marvin held the phone out for Chuck to hear the performance. At that moment, Marty started doing Chuck's famous "duckwalk" and started imitating other famous guitarists from his time, tapping his guitar like Eddie Van Halen, kicking the amplifier like Pete Townshend and contorting himself on the ground like Angus Young, before finally finishing on one last high note. Realizing the audience had stopped dancing and were now staring at him, Marty said that he guessed that they weren't ready for that kind of music yet, but remarked that their kids were gonna love it.

While trying to leave backstage, Marty encountered Lorraine and George, with Lorraine remarking that that was very interesting music. She said that she hoped Marty didn't mind, but George had asked if he could take her home, which Marty said was great, remarking that he had a feeling about the two of them. After Lorraine happily told him that she had a feeling too, Marty said that he had to go, but wanted to tell them that the experience had been educational. Lorraine asked him if they would ever see him again, and Marty guaranteed that they would. Marty was then thanked by George for all his good advice, telling him that he would never forget it. Marty wished them good luck and almost left, but then turned back around and asked them that, if they ever had children, and one of them accidentally set fire to the living room rug when he was eight years old, they go easy on him. After George promised him that they would, Marty finally left.

Back to the Future

As the storm began to move in, Marty rushed to get back downtown. Upon finally arriving, Marty was chastised by Doc for being late, who asked him if he had no concept of time. Marty, however, justified being late by saying that he had to change clothes, refusing to go back in a "zoot suit". He then informed Doc that George really came through and that the plan worked. Marty happily explained that George had laid Biff out in one punch and said that he never knew he had it in him, as he had never stood up to Biff in his life. At that moment, a worried Doc examined Marty's family photograph, questioning whether George truly had never stood up to Biff. Marty said no and asked Doc what was the matter, but Doc ignored the question and simply gave him back the photograph.

Marty watched as Doc set the destination time to the same time that Marty left, making it like he never left at all. Doc then explained that he painted a white line further down the street and, having calculated the distance, acceleration speed and wind resistance retroactive from the moment the lightning would strike at exactly 7 minutes and 22 seconds, put a clock in the DeLorean which, when the alarm would go off, would signal Marty to hit the gas. After exchanging thanks and a hug, Doc said that he would see Marty in about 30 years, to which Marty replied that he hoped so. However, Marty was then told by Doc not to worry, as he assured him that as long as he hit the wire with the connecting hook at precisely 88 miles per hour at the same time that the lightning would strike the tower, everything would be fine.

Unfortunately, right after Marty got in the car, Doc discovered the letter in his coat pocket. Doc demanded to know what the meaning of it was and Marty replied by saying that he'd find out in about 30 years. Marty was then berated by Doc for trying to give him information about the future, who then remarked that he had already warned Marty about this and that the consequences could be disastrous. Marty insisted that it was a risk that Doc would have to take as his life depended on it, but Doc stated that he refused to accept the responsibility and tore up the letter. Marty then said that he was gonna tell it to Doc straight out, however, a tree branch then fell on the cable, disconnecting it from the clock tower.

Marty was then instructed by Doc to get the cable while Doc himself would go up to the clock tower and throw a rope down to him. After getting the cable, Marty waited until Doc finally got up to the clock tower and threw him the rope, which he then tied around the cable and told Doc to pull up. Marty then made one final attempt to tell Doc about the future by yelling the information at him. Unfortunately, Doc could not hear him over sound of the storm. At that moment, the bell tolled, momentarily causing Doc to lose his balance and hang off of one of the gargoyle statues. After seeing Doc regain his balance, Marty was told by him to go, but was hesitant to do so. Finally, Marty left when Doc pointed out that he had less than 4 minutes, telling him to hurry.

Marty being sent back to the future.

While Doc fixed the line, Marty jumped in the DeLorean and headed to the starting line. After arriving at the starting line and setting up the connecting hook, Marty lamented not having enough time to save Doc. However, he then realized that the time machine afforded him all the time he wanted and he set the arrival time for ten minutes earlier to save Doc. Unfortunately, at that moment, the car's engine died. Fortunately, shortly after the alarm went off, Marty managed to get the DeLorean back running and took off. In a race to reach the poles, Doc connected the line at exactly 10:04 PM and Marty attached to the line, sending him back to 1985.

Return to 1985

Doc's Decision

Arriving back in 1985, Marty crashed into the front of the Town Theater. Driving out of the theater and back onto the road, Marty was happy to see that he had successfully returned, cheerfully greeting Red the Bum. After confirming the time, he tried to drive to the mall to warn Doc, but the DeLorean died on him again. After seeing the Libyans drive past him, Marty had no choice but to run to the mall.

Marty watching himself escape from the Libyan terrorists at Lone Pine Mall.

Upon arriving at Lone Pine Mall, Marty witnessed Doc being shot and his other self travel to 1955, which resulted in the Libyans crashing into a Fox Photo booth. Marty then ran to Doc's body and, believing him to be dead, started to cry. At that moment, Doc sat up, much to Marty's surprise. Doc then pulled down the zipper of his radiation suit, revealing a bulletproof vest underneath. Confused, Marty asked him how he knew ahead of time, which prompted Doc to pull out Marty's letter from his inside pocket, having taped it back together sometime in the past 30 years. Marty questioned Doc about all that talk about screwing up future events and the space-time continuum, to which he replied that he'd figured "what the hell".

Marty was driven home by Doc in the DeLorean and then asked him how far ahead he was going. Doc replied that he intended to travel about 30 years into the future, citing it as a nice round number. Marty then asked Doc if he could look him up when he got there, remarking that he would be about 47 years old by that time, which Doc promised he would. The two exchanged goodbyes and Marty informed Doc to watch the re-entry, saying that it was a little bumpy. Marty then watched as Doc drove the DeLorean onto the road and disappeared in a flash of light.

Future Shock

Marty awakens to a new life.

The next morning, Marty woke up in his bed and assumed that all of the preceding events had been a nightmare. However, while walking through the house, Marty noticed that the living room had now changed from a dingy antiquated setting to a clean and modern home and then overheard Dave and Linda arguing over how Dave could not keep up with all her boyfriends. Confused, Marty asked them a few questions before Dave asked him if he was alright, to which Marty replied that he was. Shortly after, George and Lorraine arrived home from playing tennis, both more fit and attractive, causing him to nearly faint at the sight of them and fall to the floor, making them momentarily concerned. After getting back up, Marty remarked that they looked great and that Lorraine looked so thin, for which she thanked him.

Marty was then informed by Linda that Jennifer had called and Lorraine remarked that she liked her, stating that she was such a sweet girl. Upon being asked by Lorraine whether he and Jennifer were still planning to go up to the lake that night, Marty, confused, remarked that they couldn't go to the lake because the car was wrecked, much to his family's confusion.

Marty followed George to the front door and saw Biff, now timid and running an auto detailing service, waxing the family car. Marty then watched as George, now more confident, managed to catch Biff in a fib and get him to apply two coats of wax instead of one. Marty then listened as George remarked that he'd been dealing with Biff since high school, although ultimately both him and Lorraine credited him with making them fall in love. At that moment, Biff ran into the house, carrying a package containing George's first novel, a science-fiction story called A Match Made in Space. After hearing George repeat Doc's phrase at him, Marty was handed his keys by Biff, who told him that the car was all waxed up and ready for tonight.

Upon opening the garage door, Marty discovered that, in this revised timeline, he now owned the Toyota Hilux 4X4 that he had been eyeing previously. Marty then became aware of Jennifer's presence, who jokingly asked him for a ride. Marty happily approached her to get a better look at her, prompting Jennifer to remark that he was acting as though he hadn't seen her in a week, to which he replied that he hadn't. Confused, Jennifer asked him if he was okay and if everything was alright, Marty, after briefly looking back at his parents, replied that everything was great as he and Jennifer leaned closer to kiss.

Marty and Jennifer talking to Doc after he returned from the future.

However, their kiss was interrupted by the arrival of the DeLorean, which then proceeded to knock over the nearby trashcans. Afterwards, a futuristically-garbed Doc emerged from the time machine, urging him to come back with him to the future. Marty then saw Doc reeling through the garbage and asked him what he was doing, to which he responded that he needed fuel. Whilst dropping the garbage into the Mr. Fusion, Doc continued to urge Marty to quickly get in the car, but Marty was hesitant, stating that he had only just gotten back to his time and that he and Jennifer intended to take the new truck for a spin.

Doc, however, simply told Marty to bring Jennifer along, as this concerned her too. Confused, Marty asked Doc if something happened to him and Jennifer in the future, but Doc assured him that both of them would turn out fine and that instead this was an urgent matter involving their children.

After they got into the car, Marty remarked that Doc had to back up as they didn't have enough road to get up to 88 MPH. However, Doc replied by stating that where they were going, they wouldn't need roads. They then flew off in the now fusion-powered and hover-converted DeLorean.

Into the Future

Arrival in 2015

Arriving on October 21, 2015, the DeLorean appeared in the middle of Skyway C25, but in the wrong lane and facing oncoming traffic, forcing Doc to swerve onto the right lane in order to avoid a collision. Marty asked Doc what it was that nearly hit them, which Doc then stated to have been a taxicab. Confused, Marty asked Doc what he meant by that, as he thought they were flying, which stated to be precisely the case. Marty then asked Doc to explain what was going and tell them where and when they were.

Upon being told the date, Marty was surprised to discover they were in the future. He was then asked by a confused Jennifer how they could be in the future, which caused Marty to awkwardly explain to her that she was in a time machine. This revelation caused Jennifer to exitedly start asking Doc numerous questions about her and Marty's future, which prompted Doc to put her to sleep with a sleep-inducing alpha rhythm generator. Marty objected to what Doc did, but Doc explained that she was asking too many question and that no one should know too much about their future. He further explained that when she woke up, she would think it was all a dream. Marty then questioned Doc on why he even brought her along at all, to which Doc explained that she had seen the time machine and he could not have just left her behind with that information. Marty was then assured by Doc that he did not have to worry, as Jennifer was not essential to his plan. Upon reaching the exit 'ramp' that spiralled down into Courthouse Square, Doc landed the car in an alley.

Marty and Doc waiting five more seconds for the rain to stop.

Upon landing, Marty was instructed by Doc to get out of the car and change clothes, but Marty objected, remarking that it was pouring rain. Doc then told Marty to wait 5 more seconds and, indeed, the raining stopped right on time. As they were getting out of the car, Marty heard Doc express astonishment at the era's weather service, as well as lament that the post office was not as efficient. As Marty got out of the car and started taking in his surroundings, he was surprised to see Doc a rubber mask from his face. Doc explained to him that he had gone to disguise himself as he was afraid that Marty would not recognize him. Doc further explained that he had gone to a rejuvenation clinic and got an all-natural overhaul, having some of his wrinkles taken out, his hair repaired, his blood changed, adding a good thirty to forty years to his life, as well as replacing his spleen and colon. Upon removing his mask Doc asked Marty how he looked, to which Marty answered that he looked great, even though he did not look that different.

Marty checks out one of his Nike power-lacing shoes before putting them on.

Turning to face Courthouse Square, Marty expressed his astonishment at being in the future and told Doc that he wanted to check it out. But he was then told by Doc that it would be all in good time, as they were on a tight schedule. Curious, Marty asked Doc to tell him about his future, wondering if he had become rich rock star. Doc then reminded him that no one should know too much about their own destiny, to which Marty half-heartedly agreed. Marty was then instructed by Doc to take off his shirt and put on a futuristic jacket and shoes, which Doc had kept in a bag in the DeLorean. Doc then reminded Marty that they had a mission to accomplish before running off after grabbing a pair of futuristic binoculars. Putting on the Nike MAG shoes, Marty was pleasantly surprised to discover that they were power-lacing shoes. As Marty put on the seemingly oversized jacket, he remarked to Doc, who had just come back, that it did not fit. Doc then pressed a button on the jacket, which caused it to automatically adjust to Marty's size. Marty was then further instructed to pull out his pants pockets, as all kids in the future wore their pants inside-out, and put on a cap that Doc pulled out of the bag. Doc then looked at Marty and remarked that it was perfect, as he was now the spitting image of his future son, much to Marty's surprise.

Marty was then asked by Doc to help him move Jennifer out of the DeLorean. Whilst doing so, Marty asked Doc on what he had to do now. Doc explained that in exactly 2 minutes, Marty would go around the corner to the Cafe 80's. Taking note of Marty's confusion, Doc explained to him that it was "one of those nostalgic places, but not done very well". Continuing his instructions, Doc told Marty to go inside and order a Pepsi, handing him 50 dollars to pay for it, and then wait for a guy named Griff. Doc then finished his instructions by saying that Griff was going to ask Marty about tonight and whether he was in or out. Stating that no matter what Griff was going to say or whatever was going to happen, Marty had to refuse the offer and then return to the alley and wait for Doc to return, insisting that Marty not talk, touch, do, interact or look at anyone or anything along the way.

Doc explaining the plan to Marty.

Still confused, Marty remarked to Doc that he did not get it, as he thought that Doc said that this had something to do with Marty's children. Doc responded to Marty's inquiry by showing him a newspaper, which revealed that Marty's son, Marty Jr., was going to be arrested for attempted robbery of the Hill Valley Payroll Substation later that day and tried, convicted and sentenced to fifteen years at the State Penitentiary within two hours of his arrest. Marty was surprised that the sentencing happened within two hours, which prompted Doc to reveal that the justice system worked swiftly in the future due to all Lawyers being abolished. Somewhat overwhelmed by the information, Marty was then informed by Doc that it got worse, as his daughter, Marlene, would try to break Marty Jr. out of jail the following week, only to be caught and sentenced to twenty years. Doc explained that Marty Jr.'s arrest would start a chain reaction which would completely destroy their entire family.

At that moment, Marty saw the date and realized that it was tomorrow's newspaper. Doc clarified that he had already gone ahead further into time to see what else had happened and subsequently backtracked everything to this one event, which is why they were there to stop the incident from ever happening. Doc's watch then started beeping, which caused him to mildly panick as he remarked that he was late. Marty asked Doc where he was going as Doc was putting the newspaper and bag back inside the DeLorean, and Doc stated that he was going to intercept the real Marty Jr. while Marty took his place. After Doc repeated his instructions about going to the Cafe 80s and just saying no to Griff, Marty asked him if they had to do something about Jennifer, as he did not want to just leave her there. Doc, however, assured him that she would be safe, as they would only be gone for a few minutes. As Marty started to walk off towards the Courthouse Square, Doc warned him to be careful around Griff, remarking that he had a few short circuits in his bionic implants.

Marty about to get 'swallowed' by a hologram shark created by the exterior of the Holomax Theater.

Confrontation at the Cafe 80's

Marty, disguised as Marty Jr., enters the Cafe 80's.

Entering the cafe, Marty saw one of the customers interacting with a video waiter, which was a video simulacrum of Michael Jackson. As he was looking around, Marty was suddenly greeted by another video simulacrum with the face of Ronald Reagan. However, while recommending that day's special, the Reagan simulacrum was interrupted by a simulacrum of Ayatollah Khomeini, who insisted that Marty try the Hostage Special. As the two simulacrums started to argue amongst themselves, Marty interrupted them, stating that all he wanted was a Pepsi. At that moment, a bottle of Pepsi Perfect rose up from within the counter and Marty picked it up and sat down. However, as Marty was about to open it, he was called out by an old man whom he quickly recognized as an elderly Biff Tannen.

Believing Marty to be Marty Jr., Biff approached him and remarked how rough it had to be for him to be named after a "complete butthead". Annoyed, Marty asked him what he meant, which caused an annoyed Biff to hit him on the head with the handle of his cane. Biff then took a seat next to Marty while saying that he was referring to Marty's old man, whom he considered to be a "loser with a capital L". Believing he was talking about George, Marty started to defend his father, only to be interrupted by Biff, who clarified that he was not talking about George but his son, Marty Jr.'s father, Marty McFly Sr., who, according to Biff, took his life and flushed it completely down the toilet.

Surprised to hear this about his future self, Marty asked Biff if he had really done that. However, before Biff could answer, their conversation was interrupted by Griff, who had just entered the cafe. Griff started yelling at Biff that he had ordered two coats of wax on his car and not just one. Biff insisted that he had just put the second coat on last week, which prompted Griff to sarcastically ask if he had done so with his eyes closed. Noting their resemblance, Marty asked if they were related, which prompted Biff to once again hit him on the head with his cane, asking sarcastically whether Marty thought that Griff was calling him "Grandpa" for his health, which is when Marty realized who Griff was. Biff then told Marty (whom he still believed was Marty Jr.) to say hi to his grandmother for him, before being forcibly dragged outside by Griff, who then briefly walked back in to tell 'Marty Jr.' not to go anywhere, as he was next.

Marty noticing the Wild Gunman arcade machine in the Cafe 80's.

Once Griff left, Marty looked around the cafe again and noticed a Wild Gunman arcade machine that two kids had managed to get working. Approaching the machine, Marty decided to play the game in order to impress the boys, remarking that he was a crack shot at it.

However, he was baffled when he could not find the coinslot and when asked, the boys did not know what a quarter was. Marty eventually discovered that the game was started by a version of the thumb pad.[12]

Taking off his hat and throwing it on top of the machine, Marty then grabbed the gun and played the game. However, the boys were somewhat unimpressed by the fact that the game required players to use their hands. They dismissed the game as being "like a baby's toy", and walked away. Confused by their remarks, Marty then noticed the real Marty Jr. walking into the cafe and ordering a Pepsi Perfect. Marty quickly ducked behind the counter in order to avoid being seen.

At that moment, Griff and his gang entered the cafe and started coercing Marty Jr. into helping them rob the Hill Valley Payroll Substation later that night, which Marty Jr. was hesitant about. Overhearing the argument, Marty was dismayed to discover that his future son was a "complete wimp", as he seemed unable to stand up for himself. When Marty Jr. remarked that he was still unsure about it and was thinking about discussing it with his father, Griff remarked that he gave the wrong answer and threw him over the counter.

Marty lifted the barely conscious Marty Jr. into a sitting position against the counter and, noticing that he was mumbling about submitting to Griff's demand, instructed him to stay down and shut up. Taking the now unconscious Marty Jr.'s hat, Marty stood up and hopped over the counter, much to Griff's surprise. Griff then grabbed him by the shoulder and demanded to hear the "right" answer, which prompted Marty to push him back. This surprised Griff even more, as he asked since when "Marty Jr." had become a "physical type".

Marty stated that his answer was no, much to Griff's disbelief. Annoyed, Marty repeated that the answer was no and started walking towards the exit. Unfortunately, Griff managed to provoke Marty by accusing him of being "chicken", complete with chicken clucking sound effects added by the computerized breastplate worn by one of the members of Griff's gang, Data. Turning back to face Griff, Marty stated that nobody could call him chicken, only for Griff to then reveal that he had been hiding an adjustable baseball bat behind his back.

Marty being overpowered by Griff's bionically enhanced arm.

As Griff took a swing at him, Marty ducked out of the way, which resulted in Griff missing him and instead hitting the Ronald Reagan video waiter and being shocked by the wiring. As Marty took a fighting stance, he was slightly intimidated by Griff who, after recovering from the shock, used his bionic implants to make himself taller. Marty then distracted Griff by pointing away and telling him to look. Once Griff looked away, Marty threw a punch. Unfortunately, Griff's bionic arm, seemingly through some sort of automatic system, managed to block his punch and started overpowering Marty. Marty then kicked Griff in the groin and pushed him into his gang, allowing him the chance to run outside.

Hoverboard Chase

Marty borrowing a hoverboard

Once outside, Marty ran towards a pair of girls and told one of the girls that he needed to borrow her hoverboard. Noticing Griff's gang exitting the cafe, Marty quickly detached the board's handlebars and handed them to the girl. Marty then put down the hoverboard, expressing surprise at seeing it actually hover, and jumped on it. As Marty started to adjust to riding a hoverboard, he narrowly avoided bumping into two bystanders and subsequently dodged a large rock, which caused him to fall off of the hoverboard. Quickly getting back up, Marty saw Griff's gang coming after him on their own hoverboards. Jumping back on the hoverboard, Marty made his way onto the street, with Griff's gang closing in on him. Marty was nearly caught by the gang, but managed to grab onto the back of a Jeep that had just landed. Grabbing a rope from the back of the jeep, Marty began trailing behind. After narrowly avoiding hitting the crowd, Marty noticed that the jeep had turned a corner to the Cafe 80's and saw an angry Griff about to hit him with his bat. Fortunately, Marty once again managed to dodge out of the way, which resulted in Griff hitting the tail light of his own car instead.

Marty coming to a halt as his hoverboard hits water.

Marty then noticed an incoming car, but fortunately managed to hover over it and ended up hovering over the artificial lake, nearly making it the whole way across. Unfortunately, as Marty made his way across the lake, he noticed that the hoverboard was slowing down, eventually coming to a complete halt about a meter from the other side.

Marty was then mocked by Griff's gang, who referred to him as a "bojo" and revealed that the type of hoverboard he was using did not work on water. Noticing that he was close to the other side of the lake, Marty attempted to move the short distance by paddling with his foot. Looking behind him, Marty saw that Griff had grabbed a rocket-powered hoverboard and his gang had hooked themselves onto three tow cables in order to be towed behind him. Realizing that Griff and his gang were going to reach him and that Griff intended to hit him once again with his bat, Marty continued to fruitlessly try and reach the other side of the lake by paddling his foot against the water.

Unable to reach the other side of the lake in time, Marty turned to face Griff and his gang as they closed in on him. As Griff took a swing at him, Marty jumped into the water, avoiding Griff's swing and causing him and his gang to lose control of their hoverboards and crash through the front windows of the Hill Valley Courthouse. Resurfacing from the water, Marty expressed astonishment at the destruction Griff and his gang had caused and quickly grabbed the hoverboard and got out of the lake.

Marty's jacket becomes dry to his surprise.

Somehow making his way inside of the tunnel that led to the shopping area of the Courthouse Mall, Marty emerged from the tunnel up a stairway and looked at the crowd that was gathering around the entrance of the Courthouse. Hearing a beeping sound come from his jacket, Marty found and pressed a flashing button near the bottom of the zipper area, which caused the jacket to enter "drying mode". After a few seconds, the jacket proclaimed that it was now dry, to Marty's pleasant surprise.

Buying Grays Sports Almanac & Losing Jennifer

Approaching the little girls again, Marty tried to give the hoverboard back to the girl he borrowed it from. But the girl told him he could keep it, as she had now managed to acquire Griff's Pit Bull hoverboard. As the girls left, Marty was approached by an elderly man, Terry, who asked him to donate 100 dollars in order to help save the clock tower. Marty refused, but Terry remained insistant, remarking that the clock tower was an important historical landmark and that lightning had struck it sixty years ago. At that moment, Marty saw a sports anouncement on a holobillboard, which anounced that the Chicago Cubs had won the World Series in a sweep over Miami, much to Marty's surprise. Terry expressed surprise as well, remarking that it was a 100 to 1 shot and lamenting that he wished he could go back to the beginning of the season and put some money on the Cubs. Marty tried to correct Terry by explaining that he was surprised about Miami, but then stopped and asked Terry to repeat himself. After Terry repeated what he had said and walked off, Marty got an idea.

Marty purchases Grays Sports Almanac.

Entering the Blast from the Past antique store, Marty sold his pocket change and dollar bills as antique currency and purchased Grays Sports Almanac. The saleswoman pointed out the almanac's dust jacket as part of her sales pitch, remarking that it was used on books before dust-repellent paper was developed, and also recommended to Marty a DustBuster hand vacuum in case he was particularly interested in dust. The saleswoman then put the almanac in a silver-colored plastic bag, on which was printed in black the Blast from the Past store's logo, along with a receipt.

Once outside, Marty took the almanac out of the bag and started flipping through the pages, happily exclaiming that, with it, he could not lose. However, Marty then heard Doc calling out to him from the DeLorean, which was hovering next to the shop. Turning towards Doc, Marty asked him what was going on. Doc instructed him to stand by, as he was going to park near him. As Doc was parking the DeLorean, Marty remarked that he was right on time. Once the DeLorean was parked, Marty opened the gullwing door and started petting Einstein. Doc explained that he had left Einstein in a suspended animation kennel and that, from Einstein's point of view, he never even knew Doc was gone.

As Doc was getting out of the car, he suddenly noticed the large group of people gathered at the front of the Courthouse, and demanded to be told what had happened. Marty explained that Marty Jr. had unexpectedly shown up, causing things to go differently than expected. Doc then suddenly realized what had gone wrong, explaining that his earlier use of the sleep inducer on Jennifer resulted in it not having enough power to knock Marty Jr. out for a full hour. As Doc was lamenting his mistake, Marty grabbed the newspaper and, noticing that the headline was changing, told Doc to look at it. The headline subsequently changed from "Youth Jailed" to "Gang Jailed", with the picture of Marty Jr.'s arrest changing into one of Griff and his gang being arrested instead.

Looking at Griff's arrest through his binocular card, an overjoyed Doc explained that, because the hoverboard incident had now occured, Griff would now go to jail. Therefore, Marty Jr. was not going to go with him tonight and the robbery would never take place. Thus history, future history, had now been altered and the newspaper was the proof. Doc assured Marty that they had succeeded, albeit not exactly as Doc had planned, which he did not mind. Doc then said that they should go get Jennifer and go home, which Marty agreed with.

After putting the hoverboard inside the DeLorean and petting Einstein, Marty grabbed the bag with the almanac inside it. However, the almanac then fell out and landed at Doc's feet. Picking it up, Doc asked him what it was and Marty claimed it was a souvenir. Reading the cover, Doc remarked that the book was hardly recreational reading material. Marty asked what harm there could be in bringing back a little info on the future, remarking that they could perhaps place a couple of bets.

Doc, however, was against the idea, stating that he did not invent the time machine for financial gain. He elaborated that the intent was to gain a clear perception of humanity. Where they had been, where they were going. The pitfalls and the possibilities. The perils and the promise. Perhaps even an answer to that universal question: Why?

Marty assured Doc that he was all for that, and asked what was wrong with making a little money on the side. Not answering his question, Doc declared his intention of putting the almanac in the trash and started walking towards a mobile trashcan, with Marty following after him. However, as Doc was about to place the almanac inside the mobile trashcan, he saw police officers Reese and Foley investigating the still-unconscious Jennifer. Marty was then grabbed by Doc and the two ran to a corner and watched the officers from afar.

Marty asked Doc what they were doing, and Doc revealed that they had used Jennifer's thumbprint to assess her identity and, since her thumbprint never changed over the years, they simply assumed that she was the Jennifer of the future. Marty stated that they had to stop the officers, but Doc then asked him what they were supposed to say, remarking that if they said they were time travelers, the officers would have them committed.

Overhearing the officers, Doc remarked that they were taking Jennifer home, to her and Marty's future home in Hilldale. Formulating a plan, Doc stated that they would arrive shortly thereafter, get Jennifer out of there and get back to 1985. Marty got excited at the prospect of seeing his future home and himself as an old man, but Doc interrupted him and started to explain that the result would be bad, before stopping mid-sentence as he realised something. Doc explained that Jennifer could conceivably encounter her future self, the consequences of which could be disastrous.

Marty and Doc discuss the scenarios and the horrors of a major paradox.

Marty asked Doc what he meant, and Doc explained that he foresaw two possibilities. One: Coming face-to-face with herself thirty years older would put her into shock and she would simply pass out. Or two: The encounter could create a time paradox, the results of which could cause a chain reaction that would unravel the very fabric of the space-time continuum and destroy the entire universe. Doc then admitted that that was the worst case scenario. The destruction could, in fact, be very localized, limited to merely their own galaxy. Marty, worried, sarcastically replied that that was a relief.

Once the police car left, Marty was urged by Doc that they had to go, hoping to find Jennifer before she found herself. Unfortunately, a nearby sign, which displayed skyway conditions, indicated that Skyway C25 was "skewed", much to Doc's annoyance. Doc explained that it meant the skyway was jammed and that it would take them forever to get to Hilldale. Looking back at the almanac, Doc turned to Marty and stated that it was going to stay there. Doc once more repeated that he did not invent the time machine to win a gambling but to travel through time, threw the almanac into a stationary trashcan and went back to the DeLorean. Marty once again assured Doc that he knew as he followed after him.

Retrieving Jennifer & Going Home

While stuck on the skyway, Doc was cursing the traffic, remarking that Jennifer's future self usually got home around that time and he hoped that they were not too late. Noticing that Doc was touching his glasses, Marty asked him what was the matter. Doc replied that, for a moment, he thought he saw a taxi in his rear display and thought that it was following them. Doc noted that it was weird, but shrugged it off as his imagination.

Marty and Doc at Hilldale.

Landing outside of Hilldale, Marty was overjoyed to discover that he lived there. However, he was then told by Doc to stay with the car and change clothes. Although Marty insisted on wanting to see his future house, Doc was insistent that they could not risk Marty running into his older self. As Doc left, taking Einstein with him, Marty started changing his clothes, once more remarking how great it was that his future self lived in Hilldale.

After changing his clothes, Marty saw an automatic dog-walker in the distance and, fascinated, wandered off to explore future Hilldale, leaving the DeLorean unattended. While exploring future Hilldale, Marty heard Doc calling out to him, asking him to come quickly. Coming to Doc's aid, Marty helped him carry the unconscious Jennifer back to the DeLorean. Doc stated that, just as he had predicted, Jennifer had encountered her older self and had gone into shock. After assuring Marty that Jennifer would be fine, Doc revealed that, once they got back to 1985, he intended to destroy the time machine.

Marty questioned Doc on his decision to destroy it, asking him about his earlier talk about all that stuff about humanity, where they were going and why. Doc replied that the risk was just too great, citing the incident with Jennifer as proof. After Marty opened the car door and they put Jennifer inside, Doc continued by elaborating that he had behaved responsibly and asked Marty to imagine the danger if the time machine were to fall into the wrong hands.

Marty continued to listen as Doc, while refueling Mr. Fusion, stated that his only regret was that he would never get the chance to visit his favourite historical era, the old west, but he considered time travelling to just be too dangerous. Doc then remarked that it would be better if he devoted himself to studying the other great mystery of the universe: Women.

Once they got inside the car and had flown into a skyway, Doc input the coordinates for October 26th, 1985. As the car sped up, Marty was told by Doc to brace himself for temporal displacement. Holding Jennifer, Marty watched as the car accelerated to 88 and broke the time barrier.

1985A

Dropping Off Jennifer

In a flash of light, the skyway vanished and the DeLorean was the only vehicle in the air. Turning to Doc, Marty asked him if they had made it, if they were back. At that moment, an airliner flew over the DeLorean, barely missing them. As Marty frantically looked out the windows, Doc stated that they were indeed back.

Marty and Doc carry Jennifer to her porch.

Landing down the street, Doc drove the DeLorean to Jennifer's house and parked on the driveway. Getting out of the DeLorean, Doc suggested to put Jennifer in the porch swing, stating that he would then take Marty home and he could come back in his truck and wake her up. He explained that when Jennifer would awaken there in her own house and it was dark, Marty would be able to convince her that it was all a dream. Marty objected to leaving Jennifer there on the porch, but Doc remarked that the disorientation would help convince her that it was all a dream.

Marty then asked how long Jennifer would be out, to which Doc remarked that he was not sure, as she had received quite a shock. He stated that it could be for a few minutes, but most probably a couple hours and recommended that Marty better bring some smelling salts with him. Reluctantly agreeing to Doc's suggestion, Marty looked back at Jennifer and the house. After Doc assured him not to worry as Jennifer would be fine, Marty walked after him, remarking that he did not remember bars being on the windows.

Wrong House

Marty was dropped off at his by Doc, who then informed him that, if Marty needed him, he would be in his lab, dismantling the DeLorean. After watching Doc drive off, Marty walked towards the side door and tried to open it, only to disover that it had a padlock on it. Surprised, Marty climbed over the fence.

Marty admits that he is in the wrong house.

Opening the window to his room, Marty stumbled through the window onto his bed and was shocked to discover a girl was sleeping in it. As the girl screamed, Marty tried to calm her down and get her to explain what she was doing in his room. At that moment, the girl's father burst into the room, wielding a wooden baseball bat in a threatening manner, followed shortly after by the rest of her family. Despite Marty's insistence that he did not want any trouble, the girl's father started chasing him around the room, repeatedly swinging at him with his baseball bat. When the man demanded to know what Marty was doing with his daughter, Marty insisted that he was simply in the wrong house. Dodging another swing, Marty stated that he had made a mistake, which the man agreed with as he took another swing. Dodging again, Marty crawled out of the room and ran out of the front door out onto the street.

As Marty was running away, the man yelled at him to tell the realty company that sent him that they were not selling their house, refusing to be terrorized.

Exploring "Hell Valley"

Running down a street, Marty noticed that crashed cars were littering the street. At a corner, he saw outlines of two murder victims. Marty then saw the burnt-out remains of Hill Valley High School surrounded by a chain-link fence topped with barbwire and bearing a NO TRESPASSING sign from the Hill Valley Police Department.[12] As Marty ran down another street, three police cars sped past the entrance with their sirens sounding and strobe lights flashing. Remarking that this had to be the wrong year, Marty ran towards a nearby house and picked up the newspaper that was lying on the porch. Reading the date, Marty was shocked to discover that he was, in fact, in 1985.

Marty being held at gunpoint by Strickland in 1985A.

At that moment, Marty was approached from behind and held at gunpoint by the owner of the house, who demanded that Marty drop the newspaper. Turning around, Marty discovered that the man was principal Mr. Strickland, wearing a bulletproof vest over his nightshirt and pointing his pump-action shotgun at him, accusing him of being the one who had been stealing his newspapers.

As Marty stood up, he tried to get Strickland to remember him. When Strickland demanded to know who he was, Marty said his name and asked if Strickland did not know him from school. Strickland replied that he had never seen Marty before in his life, but remarked that Marty looked to him like a slacker. Agreeing with Strickland's assessment, Marty stated that Strickland had given him detention last week. Strickland, however, was confused by Marty's statement, remarking that the school burned down six years ago.

Having lost patience with Marty, Strickland stated that he had exactly three seconds to get off his porch and, judging from where he was pointing the shotgun, threatening Marty with the loss of his prospects of ever fathering children by Jennifer forever. As Strickland counted "One", Marty, panicking, pleaded to him that all he wanted was to know what was going on. However, shortly after Strickland counted "Two", a gang of drive-by shooters drove by and opened fire on the house, forcing Marty to take cover behind the porch railing while Strickland dove into the house.

Afterwards, Marty vaulted over the porch railing and started running towards downtown, while Strickland shot at and started chasing the gang, referring to them as slackers.

A Horrible Discovery

Marty walking through Courthouse Square in 1985A.

Making his way downtown, stepping over the bullet hole-ridden "Welcome to the City of Hill Valley - A Nice Place To Live" sign and bumping into Red the Bum, Marty discovered that Courthouse Square had become a corrupt, crime-ridden place. The Hill Valley Courthouse had been turned into Biff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise Casino & Hotel.

Approaching the casino-hotel, Marty saw a drunken man being escorted outside by security guards and subsequently thrown down the stairs. After one of the security guards warned him to never come begging for drinks in there again, the man remarked if they could not take a joke. Recognizing the man as his brother Dave, Marty approached him. Turning towards Marty, Dave was happy to see him, remarking that Marty looked kinda ragged and asking him if he slept in his clothes again last night. Shocked at seeing Dave like this, Marty asked what had happened to him, to the town and what was going on. Seemingly ignoring Marty's question, Dave asked him when he got back. Confused, Marty asked him where he was supposed to have come back from, to which Dave remarked that, if Marty did not know, then neither did he. After Dave suggested that they go grab a drink, Marty pulled him towards himself and stated that he had to find their mother and father. This, however, upset Dave, who then questioned Marty on whether he really said that he had to find their father. Dave then asked Marty what was the matter with him, as well as asking him since when he and their mother were on speaking terms again. As Dave walked away, Marty, confused by what he had said, asked him where he could find their mother. Turning to face Marty, Dave stated that he guessed she was probably in the same place as usual, pointing towards the hotel. Dave then walked off.[12]

Marty entering the Biff Tannen Museum.

Looking to the right of the main entrance, Marty noticed the Biff Tannen Museum, which was playing a documentary of Biff Tannen's illustrious life on a video monitor. Entering the museum, Marty saw an exhibit featuring Biff's newly-restored car from 1955, with a waxwork figure of Biff standing next to it. The documentary started by encouraging people to learn the history of the Tannen family, starting with Biff's great-grandfather, Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen, whom the documentary claimed to be the "fastest gun in the West".

The documentary then proceeded to describe Biff's rise to fame, starting with a trip to the race track on his 21st birthday, which made him a millionaire overnight. Biff's winning streak would continue, eventually earning him the nickname "The Luckiest Man on Earth". Biff would eventually found his own enterprise, BiffCo, and invest in toxic waste reclamation and other heavy polluting industries. In 1979, Biff had successfully lobbied to legalize gambling and turned Hill Valley's courthouse into a casino-hotel.

Marty being caught by Biff's gang outside the Biff Tannen Museum.

Pushing the wax figure away from himself, Marty continued watching the documentary, which was now describing the women with whom Biff had been romantically involved. After showing several pictures of Biff with various women, the documentary then showed a picture of Lorraine, revealing that Biff and her had gotten married in 1973. Watching the home movie footage of Biff and Lorraine's wedding, with Biff kissing Lorraine, Marty screamed out in horror. Stepping backwards, Marty was grabbed by the members of Biff's gang, who were now serving as Biff's bodyguards. One of them, Skinhead, stated that Marty was coming with them upstairs, but Marty continued to struggle, demanding that they let him go. Another gang member, Match, stated that they could do this the easy way or the hard way. At that moment, Marty was hit in the back of the head and was knocked out. The gang member who hit him, 3-D, remarked that that was the "easy way".

The 27th Floor

Marty woke up almost two hours later, being greeted by his mother Lorraine and initially assuming that the preceding events had been a horrible nightmare. However, he quickly discovered that it had all really happened when Lorraine turned on the table lamp, assuring Marty that he was back on the 27th floor. Looking at Lorraine, Marty had difficulty in believing it was really her, prompting a worried Lorraine to ask him if he was alright. Marty noticed, much to his discomfort, that Lorraine was wearing a blouse with a low neckline which revealed her breast implants. Marty assured Lorraine that he was fine, uncomfortably stating that he was taken aback by her being so "big". Lorraine then assured him that everything was going to be fine and then asked him if he was hungry, offering to order room service.

However, they then heard a man's voice angrily calling out to Lorraine, which a frightened Lorraine identified as belonging to Marty's father. This caused Marty to be confused, as the voice did not sound like George. At that moment, an angry Biff stormed into the room, followed closely by his gang. Pointing at Marty, Biff stated that he was supposed to be in Switzerland and asked if he had been kicked out of another boarding school, much to Marty's disbelief. Addressing Lorraine, Biff lamented how much money he had spent on all three of her children. Lorraine, however, asked why he even cared, as they could afford it. As Lorraine walked out of the room, Biff followed after her and Marty was forcibly dragged along by Biff's gang.

Marty watched as the argument between Biff and Lorraine continued until Biff insulted George, prompting an angry Lorraine to remark that Biff was not even half the man George was, which resulted in Biff pushing her to the floor. Enraged, Marty charged at Biff, only to once again be restrained by his gang. Approaching the restrained Marty, Biff remarked that Marty was always "the little hothead" and asked him if he wanted to take a poke at him before punching Marty in the stomach.

Enraged at Biff's display of violence towards Marty, Lorraine declared that she was leaving him. However, as Lorraine was leaving, Biff managed to force her to stay by threatening to cut off not only her, but her children as well, remarking that, without his financial support, all three of them would probably end up behind bars just like her brother Joey.

Looking back at Marty, Biff stated that he would be back in there in an hour, so Marty better not be. As Biff and his gang left, Lorraine meekly stated that Biff was right and she was wrong. Marty, however, was angry that Lorraine was actually defending Biff. As Lorraine sat down on the stairs and had another drink, she stated that she had it coming, remarking that Biff was her husband and took care of all of them, deserving their respect. Marty, however, was outraged at the idea of Biff deserving their respect and remarked his disbelief at Biff being her husband, asking Lorraine how she could leave George for him.

Confused by Marty's question, Lorraine asked Marty if he was feeling alright. Marty answered that he was not feeling alright, remarking that he did not understand anything around there and why nobody could give him a simple straight answer. Marty's outburst made Lorraine assume that Biff's gang had hit him over the head really hard this time and she ran her hand through his hair. Grabbing hold of her hand, Marty stated that he just wanted to know one thing, the location of his father, George McFly. Saddened, Lorraine answered that George was in the same place he had been for the past twelve years: Oak Park Cemetery.

Discovering Biff's cane

Marty searches for his father's gravesite.

Walking through Oak Park Cemetery, Marty managed to find his father's grave after a brief search. Kneeling in front of the grave, Marty mournfully declared that this could not be happening. At that moment, Marty saw a shadow appear on the gravestone. Turning around, he saw that it was Doc, who stated that he feared that it was happening, all of it. Doc stated that, when he learned about what happened to George, he figured Marty would come to the gravesite. Marty then asked Doc if he knew what happened on the day George died, to which Doc replied that he did know.

Returning to Doc's garage, Doc revealed that he had gone to the public library to try and make sense out of all the madness. The place had been boarded up and shut down, forcing him to break in and borrow some newspapers. Looking at the newspaper article which reported George's murder, Marty stated that he did not get it and asked how this could be happening, remarking that it was like they were in Hell or something. Doc replied that they were in Hill Valley, although he then remarked that he could not imagine Hell as being much worse. After flipping Einstein's basket right side up in order to allow Einstein to rest in it, Doc went back to Marty and explained that obviously the time continuum had been disrupted, creating a new temporal event sequence resulting in this alternative reality. When Marty asked Doc to repeat it in English, Doc went over to a blackboard, placed it upright and began to illustrate.

Marty examining the top of Biff's cane, which Doc had found in the DeLorean.

Doc drew a line, which represented time, with the present, 1985, the future and the past. He explained that sometime prior to 1985, somewhere in the past, the timeline skewed into this tangent, creating this alternate 1985 ("1985A"). Alternate to Marty, himself and Einstein, but reality for everyone else. Doc then went to the DeLorean and pulled out a bag. Marty was shown the bag and asked if he recognized it, which Doc revealed was the bag which contained the almanac. Doc stated that he knew for certain, as the receipt was still inside. He explained that he had found it in the time machine, along with the top of a cane. Grabbing hold of the cane, Marty quickly recognized it as belonging to the old Biff from the future. Doc replied that Marty was correct, the cane was in the time machine because Biff had been in the time machine, along with the sports almanac.

Running back to the blackboard, Doc explained that, while he and Marty were in the future, Biff got the sports almanac, stole the time machine, went back in time and gave the book to himself at some point in the past. Doc then took out a copy of the Hill Valley Telegraph which documented Biff winning his first million betting on a horse race in 1958. Doc explained that Biff was not just lucky, he knew because he had all the race results in the sports almanac, which was how he made his entire fortune. Doc then instructed Marty to look in Biff's pocket in the picture with a magnifying glass. Doing so, Marty saw the almanac in Biff's pocket and lamented that Biff had stolen his idea. Slamming his fist on the table in frustration, Marty remarked that old Biff had to have been listening when they were arguing about the almanac. Marty then regretfully stated that it was all his fault, none of this would have ever happened if he had not bought the book.

Doc tried to comfort him by saying that it was all in the past, to which Marty replied that Doc meant that it was all in the future, which Doc dismissed as irrelevant. Doc then stated that it demonstrated precisely how time travel could be misused and why the time machine had to be destroyed, after they straightened all of this out. Marty suggested that they travel into the future and stop Biff from ever stealing the time machine, but Doc informed him they could not do that, explaining that if they traveled into the future from this point in time, it would be the future of this reality, in which Biff was corrupt, powerful, and married to Marty's mother. Doc then showed Marty a newspaper which revealed that, in this timeline, Doc had been committed to the County Asylum in 1983 after being legally declared insane. Doc stated that their only chance to repair the present was in the past, at the point where the timeline skewed into this tangent. In order to put the universe back as they remembered it, and get back to their reality, they had to find out the exact date, and the specific circumstances of how, where and when, young Biff got his hands on the sports almanac. Determined to set things right, Marty stated that he would ask him.

Questioning Biff

Making his way back to Biff's penthouse on the 27th floor of the casino-hotel, Marty saw Biff in a jacuzzi with two women, whom Marty guessed were showgirls from the casino nightclub downstairs[12], watching A Fistful of Dollars starring Clint Eastwood. Grabbing the TV remote control, Marty switched off the television, annoying Biff and startling the women. Once Biff saw him, Marty told him that the party was over, throwing the remote control into the jacuzzi and apologizing to the women. When Biff demanded to know how Marty managed to get past his security downstairs, Marty ignored the question and said that there was a little matter they had to talk about. Assuming that Marty meant money, Biff told him to forget it. However, Marty corrected him by stating that he didn't want to ask him for money, but instead wanted to talk about Grays Sports Almanac. Looking at Marty intently, Biff told the women that, like Marty said, the party was over.

As they walked into Biff's private office, Biff demanded to know what else Marty knew about the book. Marty, however, insisted that Biff first had to tell him how he got it, how, where and when. Agreeing to Marty's demand, Biff asked him to take a seat, which Marty ignored by continuing to stand, and then walked over to a large painting of himself. Turning to face Marty, Biff demanded that he sit down, which Marty finally did. As Biff walked over to the painting, shoving it aside to reveal a safe, he stated that he had received the almanac on November 12th, 1955.

Surprised, Marty almost blurted out that that was the day he went back to the future, but he quickly caught himself and instead stated that that was the day of the famous Hill Valley lightning storm. After complimenting Marty on his knowledge of history, Biff stated that he would never forget that Saturday. As he started opening his safe, Biff explained that, on that day, he had just picked up his car from the shop, claiming he had rolled it in a drag race a few days earlier. Interrupting Biff, Marty stated that he had thought that Biff had crashed his car into a manure truck. Surprised, Biff asked Marty how he knew about that and Marty claimed that his father had told him about it. When Biff expressed his confusion at Marty's claim, Marty clarified by stating that George had told him before he died, which Biff accepted.

As he opened his safe and took out a box, Biff continued his story and stated that he was minding his own business when a "crazy old codger with a cane" showed up, claiming to be a distant relative, although Biff did not see any resemblance. Putting the box on the table, Biff stated that the old man had asked him if he wanted to be rich, which he did. Opening the box and taking the sports almanac out of it, Biff explained that the old man had given it to him and explained that the almanac would tell him the outcome of every sporting event until the end of the century, all he had to do was bet on the winner and he would never lose. Looking intently at the almanac, Marty reached out to it with his hand, which caused Biff to pull it closer to himself. Continuing the story, Biff stated that he had asked the old man what the catch was, to which the old man answered that there was no catch, he just had to keep it a secret. Putting the almanac back in the box and closing it, Biff stated that, afterwards, the old man disappeared and he never saw him again. As Biff turned away to put the box back in the safe, Marty noticed an ashtray with several matchbooks on Biff's table and covertly took one of the matchbooks before Biff turned back to face him.

Taking a seat at his desk, Biff revealed that the old man had told him one more thing. He clarified that the old man had warned him that some day a "crazy wild-eyed scientist" or "a kid" might show up asking about that book and that Biff had to get rid of them if that ever happened. Pulling his gun out of a drawer, Biff remarked that it was funny, as he had never thought that it would be Marty. As Biff took aim at him, Marty stated that Biff was forgetting one thing and then pointed at something supposedly behind him. As Biff looked away, Marty grabbed the ashtray and threw it at him, using the distraction to run away.

Back to 1955

Marty escaping from Biff's casino-hotel.

Dodging a shot from Biff, Marty ran out of the office and ducked behind a couch, narrowly avoiding another shot. Getting to his feet, Marty made his way up the staircase as Biff continued shooting at him. Once in the hallway, Marty heard the elevator arrive and ran towards it, only to see Biff's gang emerge from it, having been summoned by Biff. Running away from them, Marty made his way towards a metal staircase and started running down the stairs. Fortunately, Marty managed to trick Biff's gang by jumping over to another flight of stairs, climbing back up and going to the roof instead, while they ran downstairs.

Once on the roof, Marty ran towards the edge, looked down and was annoyed to discover that Doc had not arrived yet. Marty was then startled by Biff, who was telling him to go ahead and jump, remarking that a suicide would be nice and neat. When Marty asked him what would happen if he did not jump, Biff aimed his gun at him and sarcastically remarked that he would die of lead poisoning instead. Marty pointed out to Biff that the police would be able to trace the bullet to that gun but Biff replied by saying that he owned the police, adding that they could not match up the bullet that had killed Marty's father, and revealing himself to be the culprit. Outraged, Marty cursed at Biff, only for him to be cut short by Biff when he cocked his gun. As Marty looked down the edge again, Biff remarked, while taking aim, that he supposed this was poetic justice, two McFlys, with the same gun.

Marty and Doc flying away from Biff's casino-hotel.

Fortunately, before Biff could shoot him, Marty jumped off the roof and landed safely on the hood of the DeLorean. As Biff approached the roof, Marty and the DeLorean hovered into view, surprising Biff. At that moment, Doc opened the gullwing door, hitting Biff on the jaw and knocking him out. After complimenting Doc on knocking out Biff, Marty got back inside the vehicle and, remarking that Doc would not believe this, stated that they had to go back to 1955. As Marty predicted, Doc had trouble believing it.

Flying away from the casino-hotel, Marty assured Doc, as he was setting the date, that November 12th, 1955 was the right one. Doc remarked how unbelievable it was that old Biff could have chosen that particular date, stating that it could mean that that point in time inherently contained some sort of cosmic significance, almost as if it were the junction point for the entire space-time continuum. Doc then remarked, on the other hand, that it could have just been an amazing coincidence. Marty and Doc then noticed that the time circuits were malfunctioning, with the destination time slot displaying "JAN 01, 1885" at noon. Remarking that he had to fix the thing, Doc banged a fist against the display, causing it to return to normal.

As Doc turned the time circuits on, Marty began protesting, stating that they could not go back at that moment. When Doc stated that they were, Marty asked him about Jennifer and Einstein, remarking that they could not just leave them there. Doc, however, assured Marty that, assuming they succeeded in their mission, the alternate 1985 would be changed back into the real 1985, instantaneously transforming around Jennifer and Einstein. Doc finished by saying that Jennifer and Einstein would be fine and would have absolutely no memory of that horrible place. Nervous, Marty asked Doc about what would happen if they did not succeed, but a determined Doc stated that they had to succeed as he accelerated the car and they entered temporal displacement.

Return to 1955

Doc's Instructions

Marty listening to Doc's instructions.

Arriving just outside the future site of Lyon Estates, the DeLorean landed behind the Lyon Estates sign. Upon exiting the car and going to the billboard, Marty remarked on how "heavy" it was to be back in 1955, stating that it was like he was just there yesterday. Doc replied by stating that, from Marty's perspective, he really was there yesterday and subsequently remarked on how amazing that fact was. Looking at his watch, Doc stated that sunrise would be in about twenty-two minutes. As Doc went back to the DeLorean, he instructed Marty to go into town, track down young Biff and tail him. Doc continued by stating that, sometime that day, old Biff would show up and give young Biff the almanac. Doc urged Marty to, above all, not interfere with that event, explaining that they had to let old Biff believe that he had succeeded so that he would leave 1955 and bring the DeLorean back to the future.

Marty receiving a walkie talkie from Doc.

After Marty aknowledged the plan, Doc continued by stating that, once old Biff had gone, Marty had to grab the almanac any way he could. After Doc reminded Marty of the fact that both of their futures depended on this, Marty assured him that he did not need to be reminded of that. After handing Marty a pair of binoculars and a walkie talkie so they could keep in contact, Doc stated that he would stay there and try to repair the shortened time circuits.

While running onto the road with a suitcase in hand, with Marty following behind him, Doc clarified that, that way, they would not run the risk of anyone else stealing the time machine and Doc would not risk accidentally running into his other self. After Marty expressed confusion at Doc's statement, Doc, while running back and forth along the road with a confused Marty running along with him, explained that there were two of him there, as well as two of Marty. He continued by stating that the other him was the Dr. Emmett Brown from 1955, the younger him that was helping the younger Marty get back to 1985. They then stopped running and Doc asked Marty if he remembered the lightning bolt at the clock tower. After Marty answered that he did, Doc explained that that event would not happen until tonight and that Marty had to be very careful not to run into his other self.

Stating that he had to give Marty some money, Doc put his suitcase on the ground and opened it, revealing that it contained money from various time periods. After stating that he had to be prepared for all monetary possibilities, Doc gave Marty a 20 dollar bill from 1955 and instructed him to use it get himself some 50's clothes. Acknowledging Doc's instruction, Marty ran towards town, with Doc yelling one final advice at him to get something inconspicuous.

Tailing Biff

Marty donning his "inconspicuous" attire.

Once he got into town, Marty purchased a black leather jacket, a black trilby hat and a pair of dark glasses. Afterwards, Marty attempted to find Biff's address in the phone book, only to discover that the only Tannen listed was an old lady named Gertrude Tannen. Once he got to the residence, Marty contacted Doc through the walkie talkie and informed him that he was at the address. Marty expressed doubt at the address being Biff's house, remarking that, although it was the only Tannen residence listed in the book, it appeared that some old lady lived there. However, at that moment, Biff exited the house. Marty observed Biff's grandmother Gertrude loudly demanding to know where he was going, to which Biff yelled back that he was going to get his car. Marty proceeded to follow Biff as he walked down the street, picked up a ball that landed at his feet and, when a group of children demanded that he give it back, threw it on the first floor roof of a nearby house, mockingly telling the children to go get it. Calling Doc on the walkie talkie, Marty informed him that the house really was Biff's and that he was on him.

Marty hiding in the back seat of Biff's car.

Marty continued tailing Biff to Courthouse Square, hiding behind cars in order to remain unseen. As Biff and the mechanic, Terry, got into an argument about the $300 he had to pay for repairs and went inside of the Western Auto store, Marty used the opportunity to sneak into the back of Biff's car and cover himself with a blanket. Moments later, Biff came out of the store with several cans of motor oil and threw them onto the blanket, inadvertently hitting Marty. After Biff finished his argument with Terry, he noticed Lorraine and her friend, Babs, exit Ruth's Frock Shop. Watching from the car, Marty was unimpressed with Biff's advances towards her, silently correcting one of Biff's mixed metaphors.

Getting back under the blanket, Marty overheard old Biff getting into the car and his subsequent conversation with young Biff, during which old Biff managed to convince his younger self to get in the car. After old Biff drove the car back to the Tannen residence, during which young Biff complained about his reckless driving, Marty continued to listen in on their conversation, in which old Biff explained what the almanac was and demonstrated its predictive capabilities by accurately predicting the winning score of the Washington-UCLA game. Finally convinced of what it could do, young Biff stated that he would take a look at it, throwing the almanac in the back near Marty. However, before Marty could grab it, old Biff took the almanac, calling his younger self a fool and telling him to never leave the almanac laying around. Old Biff then instructed his younger self to get a safe and keep it locked up. He also stated that, until then, young Biff had to keep it on him, shoving the almanac in his younger self's back pocket. As the two walked off, with young Biff closing the garage door, Marty heard old Biff warn his younger self that, one day, "a kid" or "a crazy wild-eyed old man who claims to be a scientist" were going to come around asking about the almanac.

Back to the Dance

Marty finding himself locked in Biff's garage.

Getting out of the car, Marty tried to open the garage door, only to discover that it was locked. Noticing that the windows were too small for him to climb out of, Marty remarked that he was trapped and called Doc on the radio. Marty informed Doc that Biff had the almanac, old Biff was gone as well and Marty himself was locked in Biff's garage. He then told Doc to fly the DeLorean over there and get him out, giving Doc the address of the Tannen residence. However, Doc stated that he could not take the DeLorean out in the daylight, but told Marty not to worry, promising that he would somehow get there. Marty protested, but upon receiving no answer, he put the walkie talkie away and sarcastically remarked that things were perfect.

Marty in the back of Biff's car.

Later that evening, Marty overheard Biff yelling at his grandmother that he was going to the dance, which prompted Marty to quickly jump into the back of Biff's car in order to keep track of him. As Biff was driving the car to the dance, listening to a song on the radio, Marty emerged from the back and tried to contact Doc. However, shortly after Doc replied, both the walkie talkie and Biff's radio got cut off as the car entered the River Road Tunnel, causing Marty to quickly duck back into the back seat in order to avoid being spotted. As the car neared the other side of the tunnel, Marty noticed that Biff's radio worked again and once again tried to call Doc on his walkie talkie. Fortunately, Doc answered again, asking Marty where he was, as he had gone to Biff's house and Marty was not there. Marty stated that Doc had to have just missed him, explaining that he was in the back of Biff's car and that Biff was on his way to the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. Doc then stated that they had to abort the entire plan, as it was getting much to dangerous. However, Marty told him not to worry, as the book was on Biff's dashboard and he intended to grab it as soon as they got to the school.

Doc then urged Marty to be extremely careful not to run into his other self. After Marty expressed confusion at Doc's statement, Doc, agitated, explained that Marty's mother was at that exact same dance with him. Finally understanding what Doc meant, Marty remarked that the situation could get "heavy". Doc urged one more time that, no matter what happened, he had to avoid letting his other self see him, as the consequences could be disastrous, before suddenly breaking contact.

Marty in disguise at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance.

After Biff parked the car near the school and got out, Marty watched him walk off and tried to grab the almanac. However, Biff suddenly remembered it and came back, with Marty hiding away just in time. As Biff entered the building, Marty followed him in. Standing just outside the hall where the dance was being held, Marty watched Biff from afar, narrowly avoiding being seen by him when he looked his way. Marty grabbed his walkie talkie and tried to contact Doc, but received no response. Looking through his binoculars, Marty saw George dancing by himself. Entering the hall and making his way through the dancers, Marty observed Biff and his gang through his binoculars, noticing that they were spiking the punch with alcohol while Biff was reading a French magazine titled Oh LàLà, which featured lingerie models. Marty also saw the almanac in Biff's pocket. At that moment, Marty saw Biff getting nudged by Skinhead and quickly hiding the magazine into the inner pocket of his jacket. Using his binoculars, Marty saw that principal Strickland had spotted Biff and his gang and, as he started approaching them, they walked off.

Following them outside, Marty overheard Biff ordering his gang to go find "Calvin Klein" in order to get revenge for the 300 dollars of damage to his car. Standing in a corner and letting Biff's gang walk past him, Marty silently approached Biff. However, Marty then saw his younger self and Lorraine arrive in Doc's car at the school parking lot, much to his dismay.

Jumping down and landing behind Biff, Marty attempted to grab the almanac out of Biff's pocket. However, at that moment, principal Strickland walked up to Biff and addressed him. Pressing himself up against the wall in order to avoid being seen, Marty overheard Strickland confiscating the almanac as well as arguing with Biff about his behavior and threatening to, one day, put him in detention. As Strickland walked off, Marty started tailing him. However, Marty then inadvertently approached the car his younger self and Lorraine were sitting in. Pressing up against it, Marty managed to sneak past the car without being noticed, silently agreeing with his younger self's remark that he too would have liked to have Lorraine's promise of letting her children do whatever they wanted in writing.

Afterwards, Marty continued following Strickland, eventually arriving at his office. Peering through the office window, Marty saw Strickland pouring himself a drink and putting the almanac on his desk. Quietly opening the door and sneaking up to the desk, Marty moved a little American flag on the desk out of the way and leaned forward to grab the almanac. However, at that moment, the door closed, drawing Strickland's attention. As Strickland got up and walked to the door, Marty crawled underneath the desk. When Strickland got back into his chair and moved closer to the window after hearing something outside, Marty attempted to grab the almanac. Unfortunately, just as Marty managed to touch the almanac, Strickland moved his chair back to the table, inadvertently pinning Marty's hand against it. Biting down on his hat in order to stop himself from making a sound, Marty's hand was freed when Strickland finished his drink and turned back towards the desk. Marty watched Strickland grab the almanac as he got up and subsequently throw it in the trash can as he left his office.

Once Strickland left, Marty ran up to the trash can and retrieved the almanac. Unfortunately, as he flicked through it, Marty discovered that it was not the almanac, but instead it was Biff's magazine hidden inside of the almanac cover. Panicking, Marty attempted to call Doc on the walkie talkie. When he did not receive a response, he tried again. Doc then finally answered and Marty stated that he was in trouble and had blown it. When Doc asked him where the almanac was, Marty stated that he did not know and that Biff's probably still had it, as well as explaining that all Marty himself had was the cover. Doc then asked where Biff was, to which Marty replied that he did not know. When Doc asked him if he had any idea where Biff was, Marty stated that he did not and that Biff could have been anywhere by that time. Doc then stated that the entire future depended on Marty finding Biff and getting the almanac back. As Marty replied that he understood and just did not know where Biff was, he heard Lorraine demanding Biff to stop hurting George as he was going to break his arm. Turning towards the window, Marty saw Lorraine jump on Biff in order to make him stop hurting George. Realizing what was about to happen, Marty, overjoyed, told Doc that he had to go, stating that he had one chance as George was about to deck Biff.

Déjà vu

Marty experiencing déjà vu.

Running outside, Marty once again witnessed George knock Biff out with one punch, silently cheering him on. Shortly after, Marty saw his younger self and a crowd of students arrive at the scene, which prompted him to remark that it was making him experience déjà vu. Once George, Lorraine and Marty's younger self had left, Marty made his way over to the unconscious Biff, telling the crowd to back up as well as stating that he knew CPR. At that moment, Marty noticed that Bif was regaining consciousness. When on the of the students, Lester, asked him what CPR was, Marty knocked Biff out again by punching him in the face when he recognized him. Taking the almanac out of Biff's pocket and telling the crowd that Biff would be fine, Marty ran off, inadvertently making Lester believe that he had taken Biff's wallet.

Calling Doc on the walkie talkie, Marty informed him that he had been successful and had gotten the almanac. After telling Marty that it was great, Doc informed him that he would meet him on the roof of the high school gym as soon as he had reloaded the fusion generator.

Marty pushing over Biff's gang and running past them.

Acknowledging Doc's instructions, Marty turned a corner and inadvertently came ran into Biff's gang, who quickly recognized him. Pointing to something behind them, Marty asked them what it was. As soon as they looked away, Marty pushed them to the ground and ran past them, with the gang members quickly getting up and running after him.

Entering the dance hall again, Marty watched George and Lorraine dancing together, with George waving at Marty's younger self on stage and his younger self waving back, happily looking at his fully restored hand.

Marty hiding from Biff's gang.

At that moment, Marty noticed Biff's gang running into the dance hall, looking for him. As Marty hid under the table, his hat fell off. Fortunately, he managed to retrieve it without being spotted. Coming up on the other side of the table, hidden from view by the decorations, Marty saw that Biff's gang had noticed his younger self on stage and were planning on grabbing him as soon as he got off the stage.

Watching Biff's gang go up to the side of the stage as his younger self started playing "Johnny B. Goode", Marty called Doc on the walkie talkie and informed him that Biff's gang had followed him into the gym and were going to jump him. After Doc told him to avoid that by getting out of there, Marty clarified that he was referring to his younger self on stage.

Doc then stated that, if that happened, his younger self would miss the lightning bolt at the clock tower, he would not return back to the future and they would have a major paradox. Alarmed, Marty asked Doc if he meant one of those things that could destroy the universe, to which he replied that he meant precisely that. Doc then told Marty that he had to stop them at all costs, but without being seen by himself or his parent.

Marty knocking out Biff's gang before they could assault his younger self.

Acknowledging Doc's instructions, Marty, after briefly nodding along with the song and seeing Biff's gang waiting for his younger self to finish the song, made his way to the side platform opposite of the one Biff's gang were standing on. Noticing sandbags hanging above the gang members, Marty climbed the rigging above the stage and slowly crawled across it. Reaching the rope that was holding up the sandbags, Marty managed to untie it at the same time his younger self finished the song on a high note, dropping the sandbags on Biff's gang and knocking them out. Lowering himself to the ground with the rope, lifting up the sandbags, Marty noticed that Biff's gang were regaining consciousness and let go of the rope, dropping the sandbags on them again. Going backstage, Marty called Doc on the walkie talkie and informed him of his success, stating that everything was cool. After telling Marty that it was great, Doc stated that he would be landing on the school roof in about 1 minute. Marty replied that he would be there and then left through the door.

Marty after having been slammed in the head by a door.

However, instead of leaving immediately, Marty listened in on the conversation his younger self was having with George and Lorraine. Unfortunately, at that moment, he was approached by Biff, who then tried to goad Marty into fighting him. Marty, however, refused to fight Biff and started to walk away. As Marty was walking away, Biff finally managed to provoke him by calling him "chicken". Turning to face Biff, Marty walked up to him and stated that nobody could call him chicken. However, Marty's younger self then ran out the door, inadvertently slamming it into his head and causing him to fall over. As Marty lay on the ground, Biff noticed that he had the almanac in his inner pocket. Taking the almanac back, Biff kicked Marty in the stomach for stealing it and then kicked him again in retaliation for what happened to his car.

Watching Biff get into his car, Marty got to his feet and tried to catch up, but Biff managed to drive off before Marty could get to him. Marty managed to get up to the roof by running up a set of stairs and climbing a ladder, where Doc was waiting for him, removing pennants that had become attached to the DeLorean. Marty informed Doc of Biff managing to get the book and driving off with it in his car. Marty then said that it was his own fault, stating that he should have gotten out of there sooner. However, Doc stated that there was no time for that at the moment and asked Marty which way Biff went. Marty answered that Biff was headed east, towards the River Road Tunnel. Doc then told him to get in the car and the two left to intercept Biff.

Retrieving the Almanac

As the DeLorean caught up to and flew above Biff's car as he was driving on River Road, Marty grabbed his binoculars and looked at the car, seeing Biff driving as well as the almanac in the back seat. Marty suggested to Doc that they land on Biff and cripple his car. However, Doc pointed out that Biff was driving a '46 Ford while they were in a DeLorean, stating that he would rip through them like they were tin foil. Marty then asked Doc what they had to do, to which Doc replied that he had a plan.

After Doc lowered the DeLorean, flying just behind Biff's car, Marty opened the gullwing door and put his left foot on the hoverboard, through the strap. Marty then edged towards the front of the DeLorean and subsequently jumped and grabbed onto the back of Biff's car. Looking back at Doc, Marty gave him a thumbs up, prompting Doc to give one back and then fly off in the DeLorean. Marty then moved along the passenger side closer to the almanac. Unfortunately, Biff, who had been listening to sports statistics on his radio, grabbed the almanac and started reading through it to see if the results matched the almanac. Annoyed, Marty watched as Biff, after briefly reading through it, put the almanac on the seat next to him. Quietly opening the car door, Marty tried to grab the almanac, but was unfortunately spotted by Biff. Grabbing the almanac simultaneously, Marty and Biff both started tugging at it. Attempting to get Marty to let go of the almanac, Biff kicked the car door Marty was holding on to. However, this caused both of them to let go of the almanac, which ended up landing on Biff's windshield, while Marty managed to hang on to the car door. After avoiding a road barrier, Biff demanded that Marty let go of the car. Attempting to get Marty to let go of the car, Biff swerved his car from side to side. Fortunately, Marty managed to hold on to the car door. As the car approached the River Road Tunnel, Biff drove towards the tunnel edge, trying to force Marty off. However, just before the car hit the edge, Marty let go off the car door and managed to grab onto the rear bumber, avoiding injury as well as convincing Biff that he had gotten rid him.

Marty being chased by Biff through the River Road Tunnel.

However,as Marty made his way towards Biff, he was suddenly elbowed and punched by him, as Biff had seen him approaching in his mirror. At that moment, Biff noticed a truck approaching from the other direction and managed to narrowly avoid a collision. Afterwards, Biff attempted to get rid of Marty by smearing him off the side of the car against the tunnel wall. Fortunately, Marty used the hoverboard to hover against the wall and flip over Biff's car, successfully grabbing the almanac while he did so and then landing in the middle of the tunnel. Looking at Biff, Marty saw him perform a quick u-turn at the far end of the tunnel. Marty then looked towards the other end of the tunnel and, to his dismay, saw that the exit was quite some distance away. Putting the almanac in his jacket, Marty, after noticing Biff revving his engine, set off towards the exit. Shortly after, Biff set off after Marty, intent on ramming him. Fortunately, Marty managed to reach the exit of the tunnel shortly before Biff reached him, grabbing the pennants trailing down from the DeLorean. As the DeLorean pulled Marty to safety, Biff, distracted by what he was seeing, inadvertently ended up crashing into another manure truck, much to Marty's amusement.

Burning the Almanac

Marty about to burn the almanac.

After the DeLorean, with Marty still holding on to the pennants, had flown back to the future site of Lyon Estates, Marty was lowered to the ground. Noticing that the DeLorean was not landing, Marty grabbed his walkie talkie and asked Doc if everything was alright. Doc answered that everything was alright but that it was very miserable flying weather, stating that it was much too turbulent to make a landing from that direction and that he had to circle around and make a long approach from the south. Doc then asked him if he had the book, to which Marty replied that he had it in his hands. And Doc told him to burn, Marty stated that he would do it. Marty ran towards the billboard, where he dropped the hoverboard and noticed an old bucket. Setting the bucket upright, Marty put the almanac inside of it and set it on fire using a match from the matchbook he had taken from Biff's Pleasure Paradise.

As the almanac burned, Marty saw the text on the matchbook's cover change from Pleasure Paradise to Auto Detailing. Pulling out the newspaper, Marty saw the headline change from "George McFly Murdered" to "George McFly Honored". Grabbing his walkie talkie, an overjoyed Marty informed Doc that the newspaper had changed and that his father was alive. Asking Doc if that meant that everything was back to normal, Doc replied that their mission was accomplished. Marty then asked him if that meant that Jennifer and Einstein were both okay, to which Doc answered that he was right, clarifying that it was the ripple effect and that the future was back. Doc then stated that they had to go home, which Marty agreed with, stating that they had to get themselves back to the future. However, at that moment, lightning struck, hitting a tree near Marty.

Calling Doc on the walkie talkie, Marty asked him if he was alright, to which Doc responded by saying that it was a close one and that he had almost "bought the farm". Marty then told Doc to be careful, stating that he did not want to get struck by lightning. Unfortunately, at that moment, the DeLorean got struck by lightning, knocking Marty to the ground as it disappeared in a bright flash and left behind a fire trail resembling a backards 99. Getting to his feet, Marty attempted to call Doc on the walkie talkie, but received no response. At that moment, Marty saw the pennants from the DeLorean fall from the sky and hit the ground. Picking them up and seeing the smoldering tip of the string, Marty was convinced that Doc was gone.

A Letter from Western Union

Marty receiving Doc's letter.

As it started to rain, Marty noticed a car approach him. The car then came to a halt and a man wearing a hat and trenchcoat came out of it, asking him if his name was Marty McFly. After Marty reluctantly confirmed his identity, the man approached him and said that he had something for him, clarifying that he had a letter for him as he pulled it out of his trenchcoat. Confused, Marty stated, while putting away his walkie talkie, that it was impossible for the letter to be addressed to him and then asked the man who he was. The man stated that he was from Western Union and that he and his co-workers at the office were kinda hoping that maybe Marty could shed some light on the subject, explaining that they had had the envelope in their possession for the past seventy years.

As Marty started opening the letter, the man continued by stating that the letter was given to them with the explicit instructions that it be delivered to a young man with Marty's description, answering to the name of Marty, at that exact location, at that exact minute, November 12th, 1955. As he got his umbrella and clipboard, the man finished by stating that he and his co-workers had a little bet as to whether Marty would actually be there, revealing that, due to Marty's presence, he had lost.

Looking at the letter, Marty asked him if he had really said seventy years, which the man confirmed, clarifying that it had been seventy years, two months and twelve days to be exact. The man then handed Marty the clipboard and asked him to sign under line six, which Marty did. Reading the name at the bottom of the letter, Marty was overjoyed to discover that it was from Doc. Reading the first paragraph of the letter, Marty discovered that Doc was alive and well and had been living happily in the year 1885. Reading that Doc had sent the letter on September 1, 1885, Marty started leaving. However, he was then stopped by the Western Union man, who asked him what this was all about. Marty happily stated that Doc was alive, he was in the old west, but he was alive. The man then asked Marty if he was alright and if he needed any help, but Marty replied that there was only one man who could help him and then left.

Doc fainting after Marty explained that he had come back from the future.

Arriving in Courthouse Square shortly after his younger self had been successfully sent back to the future, Marty ran up to the younger Doc and shocked him by his presence. Marty told Doc to relax, stating that it really was him, but Doc stated that it could not be, as he had just sent him back to the future. Marty stated that he knew and that Doc had indeed sent him back to the future, but then explained that he had come back from the future. Shocked by this revelation, Doc fainted. Unable to wake him up, Marty put Doc inside the car and drove him back to his mansion, spending the night there.

The Wild, Wild West

Reading Doc's Letter

Marty showing Doc the letter which Doc's future self had sent him.

The following morning, Marty woke up as Doc was dictating the events of the previous night on his reel-to-reel tape recorder, unaware of Marty's presence. As Marty got up from the chair and picked up Doc's letter, he saw Doc assuming that he was suffering from amnesia, as he could not remember how he got back home, and dismissing seeing Marty shortly after having sent his past self into the future as having undoubtebly been some sort of residual image. However, at that moment, Marty approached Doc and finally got his attention, causing Doc to once again go into a state of shock. Tripping over Marty's hoverboard, Doc fell onto the piano. Marty approached Doc and told him to calm down, stating that it was really him. However, Doc stated that it could not be him, remarking that he had sent him back to the future. Marty replied that Doc was right, but then repeated that he had come back from the future. Marty then asked Doc whether or not he remembered last night, reminding him that he had fainted and that Marty had brought him home. Doc, however, stated that it could not be happening and did not make sense. Running into the bathroom, Doc repeated that he refused to believe that Marty was really there as he slammed the door shut. Running up the door, Marty insisted that he was really there and that it did make sense, explaining the circumstances that resulted in Doc's future self and the DeLorean being sent to 1885. Opening the door, Doc remarked that it was a very interesting story, but that there was one little thing that did not make sense. Doc then asked Marty how he could possibly know about his future self being in the past, to which Marty replied that he had sent him a letter, showing said letter to Doc.

As Doc read the letter, Marty tried on the brain-wave analyzer, but could not turn it on. After reading the part of the letter which stated that the DeLorean's flying circuits had been destroyed and that the car would never fly again, Doc turned Marty and asked him if it actually flew. Marty explained that Doc's future self had a hover conversion done in the early twenty-first century, which Doc considered incredible. As Doc continued reading the letter, which revealed that his future self could not repair the time circuits as suitable replacement parts would not be invented until 1947, he briefly paused to express his joy at becoming a blacksmith in the old west, which Marty remarked was pretty heavy. The letter further revealed that Doc's future self had buried the DeLorean in the Delgado Mine, adjacent to the old Boot Hill Cemetery, as shown on the enclosed map that came with the letter. The letter then stated that, inside of the DeLorean, they would find repair instructions, with which Doc's 1955 counterpart would have no problem repairing it so that Marty could drive it back to the future. Upon reading the letter's instructions to Marty to destroy the time machine upon returning to 1985, Doc asked Marty why it had to be destroyed, to which Marty replied that it was a long story.

Upon reading the letter's instructions to not come back to get him and to take care of Einstein, Doc turned to Marty and asked him what it meant, to which Marty answered that Einstein was Doc's dog in 1985. As Marty began to play chess with Copernicus, Doc's dog in 1955, Doc continued reading the letter, in which his future self had written that Marty had been a good, kind, and loyal friend, and had made a real difference in his life. In the final part of the letter, Doc's future self stated that he would always treasure their relationship and think on Marty with fond memories, warm feelings, and a special place in his heart. Upon finishing the letter, Doc remarked that he never knew he could write something so touching and was briefly overcome with emotion. Standing up and going over to Doc, Marty agreed with him, stating that it was beautiful.

Marty then apologized to Doc, stating that it was all his fault he was stuck back there and lamenting that he never should have let Biff get to him. However, Doc reassured him by stating that there were plenty of worse places to be than the old west, remarking that he could have ended up in the Dark Ages and probably would have been burned at the stake as a heretic or something. As they looked at the map, Doc noted that it said that the vehicle was buried in a side tunnel and remarked that they might have had to blast their way in.

Unearthing the DeLorean

Marty and Doc using dynamite to blast their way into the Delgado Mine.

As Doc predicted, upon arriving at the Delgado Mine, they had to use dynamite to open the sealed entrance. Afterwards, Marty remarked that he thought that Doc had woken up the dead with that blast and was then handed a camera by Doc, who stated that he wanted to document everything. While walking through the mine, wearing miners' helmets and carrying flashlights, Marty listened to Doc as he reminisced about his youth, remarking how this reminded him of the time he attempted to reach the center of the earth. He stated that he had been reading his favorite author, Jules Verne, and had spent weeks preparing for the expedition, but ultimately did not even get as far as he and Marty were at the moment. He justified this by stating that he was only twelve at the time and revealed it was the writings of Jules Verne that had a profound effect on my life. He clarified that he was eleven when he first read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and that was when he realized that he had to devote his life into science.

At that moment, Marty found a little cranny in the tunnel with wooden planks covering it, with one of the planks having the initials "ELB" engraved into it. Marty then called Doc over to him, who, upon seeing his own initials, remarked that it was just like in Journey to the Center of the Earth and that it meant that the DeLorean was right behind that wall. Chopping through the wall, Marty and Doc found the DeLorean, covered with a sheet, on the other side in a cave. Looking at it in awe, Doc remarked on how astounding it was that the DeLorean had been buried there for seventy years, two months and thirteen days.

Using the light from their miners' helmets, Marty looked at the repair instructions while Doc used a magnifying glass to see the time circuit control microchip.

Opening the door on the driver's side of the DeLorean, Doc discovered another letter, which contained the repair instructions. As Doc was using a magnifying glass to examine the burnt-out time circuit control microchip, Marty read the instructions on the letter out loud to him, explaining that the attached schematic diagram would allow him to build a replacement unit
with 1955 components, thus restoring the time machine to perfect working order. Continuing his examination of the microchip, Doc expressed ashtonishment at how such a small device could be such a big problem. When Doc, having noticed the "Made in Japan" inscription on the microchip, turned to Marty and remarked that the circuit failing was due to it having been manufactured in Japan, Marty, confused, asked him what he was talking about and remarked that all the best stuff was made in Japan, which prompted Doc to remark that it was unbelievable.

Discovering Doc's Tombstone

Later that night, as they were loading their equipment and attaching the DeLorean onto Doc's pickup truck, Marty listened to Doc reminisce on how, as a child, he had always wanted to be a cowboy and remark on how, knowing he would spend his future in the past, it sounded like a wonderful way to spend his retirement years. Doc stated that it had just occurred to him that, since he ended up in 1885, perhaps he would be in the history books and then wondered if he could go to the library and look himself up in the old newspaper archives. However, Marty cautioned him against doing so, remarking on how Doc was always the one saying how it was not good to know too much about one's own destiny. Doc conceded to this, remarking that Marty was right and that he knew too much already as well as stating that it would be better if he did not attempt to uncover the circumstances of his own future.

Marty discovering Doc's tombstone in Boot Hill Cemetery.

As Doc called out to Copernicus, Marty told Doc that he would get him. Finding Copernicus whining in front of a tombstone, Marty asked him what was wrong and then picked him up to take him back to the truck, briefly shining his flashlight on the name on the tombstone, revealing that it read "Here Lies Emmett Brown". Realizing that it was Doc's tombstone, Marty quickly returned to it and called out to Doc, urging him to come there quickly. When Doc arrived, he asked Marty what was wrong and remarked that he looked like he had seen a ghost, to which Marty replied that he was not far off, pointing at the tombstone. After Doc expressed shock at seeing his own grave, Marty read the date of death to be September 7, 1885, which was one week after Doc had written the letter. Marty then read the inscription at the bottom, which stated that it had been erected in eternal memory by his beloved Clara. Turning to Doc, Marty asked him who Clara was, although Doc instead urged him to not stand there on the grave. Noticing he was doing so, Marty got off the grave and stood beside Doc, taking a photograph of the tombstone with Doc's camera. Doc then read the rest of the inscription, which stated that he had been shot in the back by Buford Tannen over a matter of 80 dollars. Turning to Marty, Doc asked him what kind of a future he called that.

Marty and Doc then went to the City Archives in the basement of Hill Valley City Hall, where they were allowed to stay past visiting hours by the night watchman, Charlie, who shared Doc's admiration for the Old West. Searching through the archives for any references of Doc and his death, Marty came across an article about Buford Tannen. The article stated that he was a notorious gunman whose short temper and a tendency to drool earned him the nickname "Mad Dog". It also stated that he was quick on the trigger and bragged that he had killed twelve men, not including Indians or Chinamen. Doc then asked Marty if he was mentioned as one of the twelve, but Marty told him to wait just a minute and continued reading. The last part of the article stated that Tannen's claim could not be substantiated since precise records were not kept after Tannen shot a newspaper editor after printing an unfavorable story about him in 1884. As Marty turned to Doc and explained that that was why they could not find any precise records of Tannen's victims, Doc came to him with a book, A History of Hill Valley, 1850-1930, and showed him a page which featured a family photo of the McFly family. Reading that the picture was of William McFly and his family, Doc asked Marty if they were his relatives. Marty replied that William was his great-grandfather's name and then pointed to him on the photo, noting that he was a "good-looking guy".

Marty vowing to go back to 1885 and bring Doc home.

As Doc started worrying that there was no mention of him in the archives, Marty tried to reassure him by suggesting that maybe it was a mistake and that grave was not his. Marty then suggested that there could have another Emmett Brown back in 1885 and asked Doc if he had any relatives in Hill Valley back then. However, Doc replied that he did not, stating that the Brown family did not come to Hill Valley until 1908, at which point they were the Von Brauns, and his father changed their name to Brown during the First World War. At that moment, Marty found a photograph of Doc, standing in front of the clock on September 5, 1885. Shocked at seeing the photo of himself, Doc stated that it confirmed that it was true, all of it. When Doc stated that it was him who would go back there and get shot, Marty stated that it was not going to happen. Determined, Marty stated that he, after Doc fixed the time circuits and put new tires on the DeLorean, was going back to 1885 and was going to bring Doc home.

Departure to the Old West

Marty walking out of a restroom at Pohatchee Drive-In Theater.

The following morning, Marty and Doc drove to the Pohatchee Drive-In Theater, located about 20 miles outside of Hill Valley. As Doc was preparing the DeLorean for the upcoming journey, Marty went into a restroom to get dressed into a western costume that Doc had provided him. When Doc called out to him from outside, asking if the clothes fit, Marty responded by saying that everything fit except for the boots, stating that they were kind of tight. Marty then asked if Doc was sure that the clothes were authentic, to which replied that they were, asking Marty if he had ever seen a Western. Walking out of the restroom, Marty replied that he had and that Clint Eastwood never wore anything like that. When Doc ran up to Marty and asked him who Clint Eastwood was, Marty looked at the nearby movie posters of Revenge of the Creature and Tarantula, two of Clint Eastwood's first appearances, and remarked that, of course, Doc had not heard of him yet. Doc insisted that had to wear the boots, remarking that he could not wear those futuristic things in 1885 and should not have even been wearing them in 1955. Marty then promised Doc that, once he got there, he would put them on. Reassured by Marty's promise, Doc stated that he thought they were about ready as they ran over to Doc's car.

Looking at the DeLorean, Marty frowned at the boxframe, containing vacuum tubes, which had been attached with straps to the hood of the car as well as the big whitewall tires, which reminded him of the so-called 'funny cars' he used to see when he went down to the Hill Valley Speedway. Doc stated that he put gas in the tank and packed Marty's future clothes and then, just in case, grabbed fresh batteries for Marty's walkie talkies. Doc then remembered Marty's hoverboard and asked about it, not knowing its name. Picking up the hoverboard from Doc's car, Marty stated what it was called and handed it over to Doc, who put it inside the DeLorean.

Marty watching as Doc proclaimed that the site of the drive-in was completely open country.

Marty then remarked that it was going to be a hell of a long walk to Hill Valley from there, to which Doc replied that it was still the safest plan, remarking that, after all, they could not risk sending him back to a populated area or to a spot that was geographically unknown. Doc stated that Marty did not want to crash into some trees that once existed in the past and then ran further into the drive-in, proclaiming that it was all completely open country and, as such, Marty would have plenty of run-out space when he arrived. Doc then reminded Marty that, where he was going, there were no roads and then pointed in a direction near the site of the drive-in, stating that there was a small nearby cave over there which would be a perfect place to hide the time vehicle.

Doc then examined the new time circuit control tubes in the boxframe on the hood of the car, stating they were warmed up. Entering the DeLorean and turning on the time circuits, Doc stated that, since he had written the letter on September 1, they were going to send Marty back to the very next day, which was a wednesday, September 2, 1885 at 8 AM. Doc continued by stating that he would get shot on Monday, September 7, which gave Marty 5 days to locate him. Doc finished by saying that, according to his letter, he was a blacksmith, so he would probably have a shop somewhere. Getting out of the DeLorean and handing Marty the clock photograph, Doc turned to the screen and stated that all Marty had to do was drive the time vehicle directly towards the screen accelerating at 88 miles per hour.

The DeLorean, with Marty inside, entering temporal displacement in 1955 at the Pohatchee Drive-In Theater.

However, Marty was hesitant to do so, pointing out that, if he drove straight towards the screen, he was gonna crash into the Indians depicted in a mural painting at the base of the screen. However, Doc remarked that Marty was not thinking fourth-dimensionally, stating that he would instantly be transported to 1885 and those Indians would not even be there, which Marty agreed with. Doc then wished Marty good luck, for both of their sakes, and stated that he would see him in the future. Marty corrected Doc by saying that he meant the past, which Doc stated was exactly what he meant. After Marty backed up the DeLorean towards the back of the drive-in, Doc wished him "Happy Trails" and asked him if he was ready, to which Marty replied that he was. As Doc pointed his pistol into the air, Marty whispered the command "Hi-yo Silver" to the DeLorean, mimicing the Lone Ranger, as he revved the car to prepare for acceleration. When Doc shot his pistol, Marty began to accelerate towards the screen. After Doc shouted "Vaya con Dios" and shot his pistol again, the DeLorean, right before it would have hit the mural painting, entered temporal displacement.

Arrival in the Old West

Marty driving directly towards the Pohatchee tribe.

Arriving on September 2, 1885, Marty discovered that he was driving directly into the path of one hundred Pohatchee Native Americans. Pulling the DeLorean to a halt, Marty drove backwards and managed to spin the car around in order to stay ahead of the Pohatchee. Marty panicked when he saw a hill in front of him, however, fortunately, the hill was not steep, allowing the DeLorean to safely drive down it. Noticing the cave Doc had mentioned, Marty drove inside of it and watched as the Pohatchee rode their horses past the cave away from something, some leaping over the cave entrance.

Marty hiding in the cave.

Afterwards, Marty emerged from the cave and, hearing a rumbling noise, climbed up the cave in order to see what the Pohatchee were fleeing from. After climbing the hill, Marty heard a trumpet and saw that the U.S. Cavalry was riding towards him, in pursuit of the Pohatchee, prompting him to quickly return to the cave. After the Cavalry had passed, Marty noticed an arrow stuck to the side of the DeLorean. Pulling it out and briefly examining it, Marty then dropped it to the ground. Grabbing the photograph of Doc's tombstone and his cowboy boots from the DeLorean, Marty closed the gullwing door and put the photograph in his back pocket. However, Marty then noticed the smell of gasoline and, crouching down, discovered that the arrow had ripped the fuel line.

Marty running away from a bear.

At that moment, Marty heard the sound of a bear roaring and noticed a bear approaching him. As Marty stood back upright, the bear stood up on its hind legs and roared. Panicked, Marty ran out of the cave, briefly coming to a halt to look back, and then continued running when he saw that the bear was pursuing him. Dropping his boots, which caused the bear to come to a halt and sniff them, Marty ran up a hill and then subsequently tripped and began sliding down the opposite side of the hill, crashing into a fence and losing consciousness.

Stay at the McFly Farm

Marty woke up nearly 6 hours later, being greeted by an Irish woman who strongly resembled his mother and initially assuming that his arrival into the Old West had been a horrible nightmare. However, he quickly discovered that it had all really happened when the woman turned on an oil lamp, assuring Marty that he was safe and sound at the McFly farm. Sitting up on the bed and looking at the woman, Marty intially mistook her for his mother, but quickly realized his mistake and asked her for her name. The woman identified herself as Maggie McFly and, after Marty called her by her first name, stated that he should call her Mrs. McFly, emphasising that she was married. When Maggie asked Marty for his name, he almost told her his real name, but quickly stopped himself and instead identified himself as "Clint Eastwood".

Marty talking to Maggie as she held William.

Maggie informed Marty that he had hit his head, but, fortunately, the injury was not too serious. She then stated that he was lucky that Seamus had found him when he did. When Marty asked Maggie who Seamus was, she explained that he was her husband and subsequently excused herself as she had to tend to William. Getting out of bed, Marty walked to the other room and observed Maggie taking care of her baby. Marty then asked her if that was William, which she confirmed, proudly stating that he was the first of their family to be born in America. As Maggie introduced William to Marty, she noticed that William had stopped crying after looking at him, prompting her to remark to Marty that it meant that William already liked him. At that moment, Seamus walked into the cabin, put away his hunting rifle and proclaimed he had supper while holding up two dead rabbits.

Marty having supper with Seamus and Maggie.

During supper, Seamus asked Marty how he came to be way out there without a horse or boots or a hat. Marty replied by saying that his horse had broken down, a bear had eaten his boots and he had forgotten his hat. After asking how he could have forgotten a thing like his hat, Maggie offered Marty a glass of water, which he accepted. Noticing that the glass of water Maggie had poured him had an odd color to it, Marty picked up the glass to examine it. Seamus then told Marty that he would help him find Doc, telling him that he could stay the night in the barn and tomorrow he would take Marty as far as the railroad tracks, which he could then follow straight on into town. At that moment, Marty, who had been eating his share of the rabbits, spat out three pieces of buckshot, which had inadvertently been cooked with the rabbits. Seamus then stated that he would even give him a hat, which Marty was grateful for.

Marty holding William.

At that moment, William began to cry, prompting Seamus to walk over to him and pick him. Getting back to his seat at the table while holding William, Seamus told Marty that he thought he would find the barn, jokingly remarking that he never had any complaints about it from the pigs. Maggie then walked up to the table and told Seamus that she wanted to have a word with him. Getting up from his seat, Seamus asked Marty if he would hold William for a minute and then handed him over to Marty. As Seamus and Maggie walked off to talk, Marty began playing and talking to William. While remarking on how William was his great-grandfather and the first McFly born in America, Marty noticed that William was wetting himself. Lifting him up, Marty was dismayed to discover that William had peed on him.

Meeting Buford Tannen & Near-hanging

Marty walking back to Hill Valley along the railroad tracks.

The following morning, Marty was taken to the railroad tracks by Seamus and subsequently walked the fifteen plus miles back to Hill Valley. Upon arriving into town and walking past the railroad station, Marty curiously looked around while walking through town. Walking past various businesses, such as Honest Joe Statler and A. Jones Manure Hauling, Marty came to a halt and saw the Hill Valley Courthouse being built in the distance. He then looked at the Marshal's office, which had a sign posted at the door announcing that the Marshal was out of town in order to attend the hanging of Stinky Lomax at Haysville. At that moment, Marty noticed a horse-drawn carriage headed towards him and jumped out of the way. When the carriage had passed and the dust had cleared, Marty discovered, to his dismay, that he had inadvertently jumped onto a pile of horse droppings. Stepping off of the horse droppings, Marty noticed a nearby saloon and entered it.

Upon entering the saloon, Marty quickly drew the attention of three old-timers due to his outfit. After one of the old-timers, Levi, pointed him out, another one, Zeke, remarked that he did not know the circus was in town, while yet another, Jeb, stated that Marty had to have gotten his shirt off of a dead Chinee. Walking up to the bar, Marty was asked by the bartender, Chester, what he wanted to drink. Marty asked for ice water, much to the amusement of the old-timers and Chester, who remarked that, if Marty wanted water, he had to dunk his head in the horse trough outside. Chester stated that, in there, they poured whiskey and then served a small glass of whiskey to Marty. After tapping and staring at the glass of whiskey, which had steam coming off of it, Marty turned to Chester and told him that he was trying to find a blacksmith.

Marty talking to Buford Tannen and his gang at the Palace Saloon.

However, at that moment, their conversation was interrupted by a man who had entered the saloon and started yelling at Marty, mistaking him for Seamus. When Marty turned to face him, the man realized his mistake. As the man, accompanied by his gang, walked up to the bar, he remarked that Marty resembled Seamus, especially with the hat, which he considered ugly, prompting Marty to take it off. The man asked Marty if he was related to Seamus, which he did not answer, and then asked him what his name was. After almost saying his real name, Marty stated that his name was "Clint Eastwood". However, the name provoked laughter and amusement from the man and his gang, with the man asking him what kind of stupid name that was. One of the members of the gang, Ceegar, remarked that Marty was the runt of the litter and another member, Stubble, approached Marty and made a remark about his teeth, stating that he had never seen teeth that straight that were not store-bought. The third member, Buck, made a remark about Marty's Nike shoes and asked what kind of skin they were made out of. This prompted Stubble to read the writing on the shoes and ask whether "Nee-kay" was supposed to be some sort of Indian writing.

When Chester tried to pour whiskey for the man and his gang, the man stopped him and stated that he was looking for the blacksmith and asked him whether he had seen him, to which Chester replied that he had not, referring to the man as "Mr. Tannen". Realizing who he was talking to, Marty identified the man as Mad Dog Tannen, causing everyone in the saloon to run off and hide. Enraged, Buford stated that he hated being called Mad Dog and that nobody was allowed to call him that. Grabbing his gun, Buford began to shoot at Marty's feet, demanding him to dance. After dodging several shots, Marty began to perform the moonwalk while humming the tune of Billie Jean, much to the bewilderment of Buford and his gang, as well as everyone else at the saloon. Marty then jumped on a loose plank which rested underneath a spitoon, sending it through the air before landing on Buford and spilling its contents all over him. Further enraged, Buford attempted to shoot Marty, however, fortunately, Buford's gun was out of bullets. Stumbling backwards onto a chair, Marty was told by one of the old-timers, Zeke, that he better run. As Buford ordered his gang to get him, Marty climbed onto the bar counter, ran past them and then grabbed onto and swung on a chandelier, allowing him to run outside.

Marty being hanged in front of the unfinished Courthouse by Buford and his gang.

Once outside, Marty attempted to escape on foot. Unfortunately, Buford and his gang managed to quickly catch up to him on their horses, allowing Buford to catch Marty with a lasso. Once caught, Marty was dragged by Buford and his gang to the unfinished Courthouse. Upon arriving at the Courthouse, Buford stated that, since they had gotten themselves a new Courthouse, it was high time they had a hanging. After Marty was dragged to his feet, he had a noose tightened around his neck and was subsequently hoisted up on the rope by Buford. Fortunately, Marty was then rescued by Doc, who used his sniper rifle to shoot the rope by which Marty was hanging. After falling back on the ground, Marty, while recovering from his near-hanging and slowly getting back on his feet, overheard Doc and Buford arguing about the money Doc owed Buford. Buford stated that his horse had thrown a shoe and, since Doc was the one who did the shoeing, he held him responsible for it. Doc replied that, since Tannen had never paid him for the job, that made them even. However, Buford disagreed, stating that he was on his horse when it threw the shoe and he got thrown off, causing him to break a bottle of "Kentucky red-eye" whiskey. The argument concluded with Buford stating that Doc owed him five dollars for the whiskey and seventy-five dollars for the horse, which Marty quickly realized was the eighty dollars over which Buford would shoot Doc. Doc then offered to reshoe Buford's horse, but Buford revealed that he had shot the horse, to which Doc replied it was Buford's problem. After disagreeing and stating that it was Doc's problem, Buford warned him to, from then on, better look behind him when he walked, because one day he would get a bullet in his back. Buford and his gang then left.

Marty was then approached by Doc, who reprimanded him for not following his explicit instructions not to come there and to go directly back to 1985. Marty tried to explain himself, but had trouble speaking due to his throat still being sore from the near-hanging. Doc stated that it was good to see Marty again and the two hugged. Doc then stated that they had to do something about Marty's clothes, remarking that him wandering around town dressed like that made him liable to get shot, to which Marty added that he was also liable to be hanged. When Doc asked what idiot had dressed him in that outfit, Marty, with a smile, replied that it was Doc himself who had dressed him like that.

Romantic Nonsense & Fuel Problems

Upon arriving at Doc's livery stable, Marty gave Doc the photograph of his tombstone and subsequently started changing into more appropriate period clothing. As Marty changed clothing, Doc examined the photograph, read the inscription on his tombstone and remarked that he wished he had paid Buford off. Turning to Marty, Doc asked him who "beloved Clara" was, stating that he did not know anyone named Clara. Marty replied that he did not know and had thought that maybe she was Doc's girlfriend. Doc, however, dismissed the idea of himself getting involved in such a social relationship there in 1885, stating that it could result in a disruption of the space-time continuum. Doc concluded by stating that, as a scientist, he could never take that risk, certainly not after what they had already been through.

At that moment, a man, who had just arrived by carriage, called out to Doc from outside the stable. Doc quickly identified the man as Hubert, the mayor of Hill Valley. Hubert asked Doc if he remembered how, last week at the town meeting, he had volunteered to meet the new school teacher at the station after she came in. After Doc replied that he did, Hubert stated that they got word that she was coming in tomorrow and gave Doc a sheet of paper containing the details, thanking him for all his help. After Doc replied to Hubert that he was willing to help any time and started walking back to Marty, Hubert, just before leaving, revealed that the school teacher's name was Clara Clayton.

Marty being offered iced tea by Doc, containing ice produced by Doc's refrigerator.

Walking over to Doc, Marty remarked that they now knew who Clara was. Doc replied that it was impossible, stating that the idea that he could fall in love at first sight was romantic nonsense with no scientific rationale to it. Marty, however, remarked that it was not science, stating that, if he met the right girl, it would just hit him, like lightning. After Doc asked him not to make the comparison to lightning, Marty continued by saying that that was the way it was for him and Jennifer, stating that they could not keep their eyes off each other. Remembering Jennifer, Marty stated that he hoped she was alright, lamenting that they had left her there on the porch. However, Doc assured Marty that Jennifer would be fine and clarified that, when Marty burned the almanac in 1955, the normal timeline was restored, meaning that, once they were back in 1985, Marty would just have to go over to her house to wake her up. At that moment, the steam whistle of Doc's large machine blew and Marty was instructed by Doc to go over to a valve and turn it all the way to the right. After Marty turned the valve, a single brownish ice cube emerged from a spout on the machine and fell into a plate held by Doc. Using a pair of tongs, Doc picked up the ice cube and put it into a long beaker containing cooled tea. Doc then offered the beaker of iced tea to Marty, which he declined. Looking at the machine, Marty realized that it was a refrigerator.

As they walked towards the living quarters, Doc remarked that Miss Clayton would have to find other transportation. Turning to Marty, Doc stated that, if he never met the woman, there would be no chance of a romantic infatuation, to which Marty simply replied that Doc was the Doc. Doc stated that they had to go get the DeLorean and get themselves back to the future. However, Marty then informed him of the hole he had torn in the gas tank, stating that they would have to patch it up and get some gas. Alarmed, Doc asked Marty if he meant that they were out of gas. Confused, Marty stated that it was no big deal, expressing his belief that Mr. Fusion could run the engine. However, Doc explained that Mr. Fusion powered the time circuits and the flux capacitor, but the internal combustion engine ran on ordinary gasoline, it always had. Doc concluded by stating that there was not going to be a gas station around there until some time in the next century and that without gasoline, they could not get the DeLorean up to
88 miles per hour. Concerned, Marty asked Doc what they were going to do.

Alternate Solutions

Marty and Doc trying to accelerate the DeLorean to 88 MPH using a pack of horses.

The next day, Marty and Doc retrieved the DeLorean from the bear cave and attempted to accelerate it up to 88 miles per hour by pulling it with horses while they sat on the car's roof. Holding a device that measured the DeLorean's speed, Marty looked at it and informed Doc that their speed was twenty-four. Doc replied that it was of no use and remarked that even the fastest horse in the world could not run more than 35 to 40 miles an hour. Later on, Marty and Doc devised a new plan, which involved using whiskey as an alternate source of fuel. After purchasing a bottle of whiskey and handing it to Doc, Marty informed him that the bartender stated that it was the strongest stuff they had. As Doc poured the whiskey into the fuel tank, Marty tried to start the car. Hearing a noise come from the back of the car, Marty was instructed by Doc to give it more gas. However, they then heard a loud blast come from the back of the car and an object pop out of the bottom of the back of the DeLorean. Picking up the object and identifying it, Doc lamented that they had blown out the fuel injection manifold and remarked that the whiskey was indeed strong stuff. Handing the manifold to Marty, Doc remarked that it would take him a month to rebuild it.

Upon hearing Doc's remark, Marty pointed out that he was going to get shot on Monday, to which Doc replied that he knew. Dropping the manifold to the ground, Marty followed Doc as he walked towards a desk facing a window. Thinking of ideas, Doc first suggested that they roll the DeLorean down a steep hill, but then dismissed the idea as they would never find a smooth enough surface. He then suggested for them to wait until winter for the lake to freeze over, but Marty once again pointed out that Doc was going to get shot on Monday, which was three days away. Doc then suggested for them to think it through logically. After stating that they knew they could not run the DeLorean on its own power and could not pull it, Doc suggested that perhaps they could figure out a way to push it up to 88 miles per hour. At that moment, they heard a train whistle blow outside. Doc turned to look outside and saw a large black steam train pulling into the station. Turning back to Marty, Doc stated that that was it.

Marty and Doc talking to the Friday train engineer.

At the railroad station, Marty and Doc asked the train engineer how fast the train could go. The engineer replied that he personally had powered the train up to 55 and stated that he had heard that "fearless" Frank Fargo had gotten one up to 70 out past Verde Junction. Marty then asked the engineer if it was possible to get the train up to 90, to which the engineer, puzzled, replied by asking who would ever need to be in such a hurry. Doc stated that it was just a little bet that they had and asked whether, theoretically speaking, it could be done. The engineer answered by stating that, if they had a straight stretch of track with a level grade, and were not pulling any cars behind them, and could get the fire hot enough, adding that he meant "hotter than the blazes of hell and damnation itself", then it could be possible to get the train up that fast. Doc then asked him when the next train was coming through there, to which the engineer replied that it would come through there on Monday morning at 8 o'clock.

Walking over to a map on the wall of the railroad station, Doc pointed to a railroad spur that ran off the main line 3 miles down to Clayton Ravine. Doc explained that there was a long stretch of level track that would still exist in 1985 and that this was where they would push the DeLorean with the locomotive. Looking at the ravine on the map, Doc remarked on how the map referred to Clayton Ravine as Shonash Ravine and he assumed that it had to be the old Indian name for it. Doc concluded by remarking that it was perfect, stating that it was a nice long run that went clear across the bridge over the ravine, over near the Hilldale housing development. However, Marty then pointed out that, according to the map, there was no bridge.

Marty and Doc at Shonash Ravine.

Scoping out the ravine, Marty and Doc discovered that the railroad tracks ended at the edge of the ravine. As he turned to walk back, Marty remarked to Doc that they could scratch that idea, as they could not wait around a year and a half for the bridge to get finished. However, Doc stated it was perfect and that Marty was just not thinking fourth-dimensionally, prompting Marty to remark that he had a real problem with that. Doc explained that the bridge would exist in 1985, where it would be safe and still in use. He continued by stating that as long as they got the DeLorean up to 88 miles per hour before they hit the edge of the ravine, they would instantaneously arrive at a point in time where the bridge was completed. Doc concluded by stating they would have track under them and coast safely across the ravine. As they got on their horses, Marty asked Doc what would happen to the locomotive, to which Doc replied that it would be a spectacular wreck and that it was too bad that no one would be around to see it.

Saving Clara Clayton

Marty and Doc witnessing Clara in trouble.

Hearing a woman cry for help, Marty and Doc turned to see a woman in the distance riding on a buckboard with the horses speeding wildly out of control and headed straight for the edge
of Shonash Ravine. Pursuing the wagon on horseback, with Doc ahead of Marty, Doc managed to catch up to it and have the woman jump into his arms shortly before the wagon fell off the edge of the ravine. Catching up shortly afterwards, Marty saw Doc and the woman introduce themselves to each other, with the woman revealing herself to be Clara Clayton. Grabbing the photograph of Doc's tombstone and looking at it, Marty realized that she was the "beloved Clara" mentioned on the tombstone.

After escorting Clara to her new house, Marty and Doc got her supplies off of the horse and put them on the porch. Noticing that Doc was offering to help Clara bring the supplies inside the house, which she declined, Marty insisted to Doc that they had to get going. Marty then shook Clara's hand, wished her good luck with the school teaching and walked back to his horse. After getting on the horse, Marty waited for Doc to finish his conversation with Clara. After Marty reminded Doc once again that they had to get going, Doc finally ended the conversation, excusing himself and getting on his horse after promising Clara that she would be seeing him a lot. As they rode away from the house, Marty questioned Doc on what he meant when he said that he would be seeing her a lot, to which Doc casually replied that he meant that he might see her again just in passing.

As they continued riding, Marty remarked on Clara's infatuation with Doc, asking him if he had noticed the way she was looking at him. Doc, although not denying Clara's infatuation, replied that she had had quite a scare and remarked on how she had almost ended up at the bottom of Clayton Ravine. At that moment, both Marty and Doc realized the connection between Clara and the ravine. Marty explained to Doc that the ravine was named a teacher who had fallen in there a hundred years prior, which Doc realized was the year they were currently in. Marty continued his explanation by stating that every kid in school knew that story because they all had teachers they would have liked to see fall into the ravine. Bringing his horse to a stop, Doc stated that Clara was supposed to go over in that wagon and lamented that, by saving her, he may have seriously altered history. Marty tried to reassure Doc by asking what the worst was that could happen, stating that the only change was that the ravine would not be named after her. Marty then told Doc that they had to get the DeLorean and get out of there. However, Doc stated that he wished he had never invented the time machine, lamenting that it had caused nothing but disaster. As Doc rode away, Marty looked at him curiously and then rode after him.

Doc's Plan

The following day, Marty tested the walkie talkies, which had large Burges batteries duct-taped to them, by calling Doc on his walkie talkie from the other side of the stable. When Doc responded, Marty happily remarked that they still worked. Marty and Doc then walked over to Doc's demonstration model, which featured the main railroad line which spurred off into Carson Spur and which, in turn, terminated three miles down the track at Shonash Ravine, in order to, once more, go over the entire plan and layout. When Doc began to apologize for the crudity of the model, Marty, remembering Doc's similar apology back in 1955, interrupted him and stated that the model was okay. Doc explained that, tomorrow night, Sunday, they would load the DeLorean on to the tracks on the spur right by an old abandoned silver mine. Pointing to a nearby junction, Doc continued to explain that the switch track was where the spur ran off the main line 3 miles into Shonash Ravine. The train would leave the station at 8:00 AM. Monday morning. They would stop it at the junction, uncouple the cars from the tender, throw the switch track, "borrow" the locomotive and use it to push the time machine. Doc stated that, according to his calculations, they would hit 88 miles per hour just before they hit the edge of the ravine, at which point they would instantaneously arrive in 1985 and coast safely across the completed bridge. Pointing to a small sign on the model which read "Point of No Return", Marty asked Doc what it meant. Doc explained that that was their failsafe point and then elaborated that, up until that point they could stop the
locomotive before it plunged over the ravine. But once they had passed that windmill, it was the future or bust.

Marty was then handed a pair of tongs by Doc and was instructed to connect them to the positive terminal to help with the demonstration. After doing so, Marty was asked by Doc if he was all set, to which he replied that he was and that Doc could begin. Observing the demonstration, Marty watched as the model train pulled out of the station, came up the junction, switched tracks towards Carson Spur, pulled up to the DeLorean and pushing it off of the edge of the table, which represented the ravine. However, Doc caught the model car as it was pushed off the edge, while the model train fell on a pillow. After briefly examining it, Doc turned to Marty and stated that it could not have been simpler.

At that moment, Marty and Doc heard someone knocking at the door and a woman's voice calling for Doc. After walking closer to the door, Doc stated that it was Clara and instructed Marty to help him cover the DeLorean. After doing so, Marty was handed the model car by Doc, which he then hid behind his back as Clara opened the door and walked inside. Clara stated that she hoped she was not disturbing anything, to which Doc replied that she was not, stating that he and Marty were just doing some model railroading. Clara then revealed that, when her bags were thrown from the wagon, her telescope had been damaged and that she was hoping Doc, who had mentioned an interest in science during their earlier conversation, was able to repair it for her. After she offered to pay him for it, Doc stated that he would not think of charging her for this. Marty watched as Doc and Clara examined the telescope and subsequently began staring at each other in a lovestruck moment, which Marty snapped them out of by loudly clearing his throat. When Doc promised to repair it right away and have it for her tonight, Clara remarked that tonight was the town festival and that she would not dream of having him work on her telescope during such an important occasion. When Clara asked them if they were planning on attending, Marty tried to tell Clara that they were not, but was then interrupted by Doc, who confirmed that they were, much to Marty's dismay. After greeting Marty and thanking Doc for taking care of her telescope, Clara left. Looking at Doc as he was holding the telescope, Marty remarked that it was a nice telescope.

Attending the Hill Valley Festival

Marty and Doc standing next to the new clock for the Hill Valley Courthouse for a picture.

That night, Marty and Doc attended the festival at Courthouse Square and witnessed the mayor, Hubert, dedicate the new clock to the people of Hill County, starting it at 8 PM. As the festivities officially began, Doc turned to Marty and remarked that, in a way, it was fitting that they were there to witness it. Marty replied that it was too bad that he had not brought his camera, but then he and Doc noticed a flash of light produced by a photographer taking a photograph of the clock. Looking at each other, Marty and Doc decided to have a photograph of them together standing in front of the clock. As they posed for their picture, Doc remarked that the only problem was that they would never be able to show it to anybody, to which Marty replied by telling him to smile. The photographer then took their photograph.

Marty preparing to shoot targets at a shooting gallery.

Afterwards, Marty and Doc watched as the festival band began playing and the crowd started dancing. Doc stated that it was great music, which Marty agreed with, replying that it had a beat and one could dance to it. At that moment, Marty noticed a salesman, Elmer H. Johnson, advertising his latest product, Colt Peacemakers produced by Colonel Samuel Colt's Patent Firearms manufacturing company of Hartford, Connecticut. When the salesman offered Marty a chance to try the revolver, Marty declined and turned to talk to Doc, but discovered that Doc was no longer there and was, instead, dancing with Clara on the dance floor. Marty was surprised at seeing this, as he was unaware that Doc could dance. Marty then turned to look back at the gun salesman, who had been nudging his arm in an effort to get his attention. The gun salesman stated that he had just told him that even a baby could handle the weapon and remarked that Marty surely could not have been afraid of trying something that a baby could do. Marty replied by stating that he was not afraid of anything, which prompted the gun salesman to guide him towards the shooting gallery. As the gun salesman gave him a gun, he instructed Marty to just ease the hammer and squeeze off a round. However, when Marty tried to take aim, the salesman instructed him to aim with his left hand and "be real smooth", which caused Marty's shot to miss the diorama entirely, much to the salesman's amusement. Marty then asked the salesman if he could try again, to which the salesman replied that he could. Switching the gun over to his right hand, Marty managed to skillfully hit every target, astonishing the gun salesman as well as everyone nearby. After handing the gun back to the salesman, Marty turned to walk away, but was then stopped by the salesman, who asked him where he had learned to shoot like that. Marty replied that he had learned at the "7-Eleven", much to the man's confusion, and then walked off.

Marty holding a Frisbie pie plate.

While standing at a banquet table, Marty was approached by Seamus and Maggie, who held baby William in her arms. After Seamus remarked on how Marty had acquired some respectable clothes and a fine hat, Marty replied that a couple of people did not like the way his previous outfit looked on him. Maggie then stated that his newer outfit suited him, for which Marty thanked her. As he picked up a pie tin and took the last pie out of it, Marty noticed the name of the company stamped on the bottom of the plate, the Frisbie Pie Company. Realizing that that was where the word Frisbee had originated from, Marty showed the tin plate to Seamus and Maggie and remarked that it was "far out" before leaving. This confused Seamus and Maggie, who remarked that the plate was right in front of him.

Saving Doc & Accepting Buford's Challenge

Marty being called "yellow" by Buford Tannen.

While standing and eating a pie at another banquet table, Marty noticed Buford Tannen pushing Clara to the ground and aiming his derringer at Doc. Thinking quickly, Marty grabbed an empty frisbie plate and threw it at Buford, causing him to miss and instead only shoot off Doc's hat. Walking up to Buford, Marty told him to lighten up, which momentarily confused Buford and his gang, as they were unfamiliar with the term. Buford then replied that those were mighty strong word and asked Marty whether he was man enough to back them up with more than just a pie plate. Marty replied by telling Buford to just leave his friends alone and then turned to walk away. However, Buford finally managed to provoke Marty by calling him "yellow". Turning to face Buford, Marty proclaimed that nobody could call him yellow. This prompted Buford to proclaim that they would finish their duel at that moment. However, one of the gang members, Stubble, pointed out that they could not finish it at that moment as the Marshal had their guns. Buford then proclaimed that they would finish it tomorrow, but another gang member, Buck, pointed out that tomorrow they were going to rob the Pine City Stage. Turning to his gang, Buford asked them if they were doing anything on Monday. When they confirmed that Monday was fine, Buford turned back to Marty and pointed towards the street in front of the Palace Saloon, stating that that was where they would settle their fight. Accepting the challenge, Marty asked Buford when it would take place and suggested high noon. Buford, however, scoffed at Marty suggestion of noon and remarked that he did his killing before breakfast, stating that their fight would take place at seven o'clock. However, Marty replied that their fight would occur at eight o'clock, remarking that he did his killing after breakfast.

Buford telling Marty that, if he failed to show up for their duel, he would hunt him down and shoot him "like a duck".

At that moment, Marty and Buford's confrontation was broken up by Marshal James Strickland, allowing the festivities to resume. Buford then approached Marty and stated that, if Marty was not there at 8 o'clock on Monday, Buford would hunt him down and shoot him down like a duck, prompting one of the gang members, Stubble, to correct him by stating that he meant to say to shoot him down like dog. Annoyed, Buford ordered his gang to go and promptly left, followed closely by them. Marty was then approached by Doc, who chastised him for accepting Buford's challenge. Marty told Doc to not worry about it as they would gone by that time. However, Doc pointed out that, although it was theoretically true, it was still possible for the train to be late. Taken aback, Marty asked Doc what he meant by that, to which Doc replied that they would discuss it later, to which Marty protested. At that moment, they were approached by Clara, who thanked Marty for his gallantry. Doc then stated that he was going to escort Clara home, which prompted Marty to wish them both goodnight.

Right before Doc and Clara left, a man handed Doc his lost hat and praised Marty for standing up to Buford as well as shaking his hand. Another man approached Marty and offered to buy him a drink, which Marty declined. As Marty was facing the two men, he was approached by the gun salesman he met earlier, who offered him a brand new Colt Peacemaker and gun belt free of charge. Accepting the gift, Marty fastened the gun belt around his pants as the gun salesman explained that he wanted everyone to know that the gun that shot Buford Tannen was a Colt Peacemaker. After Marty thanked him, the gun salesman stated that, if Marty lost, he would take it back before walking away.

Seamus telling Marty about his late brother, Martin McFly.

Shortly after, Marty was approached by Seamus and Maggie. Seamus chastised Marty for accepting Buford's challenge, remarking that Marty could have walked away and no one would have thought less of him for it. Seamus continued by stating that all Buford's challenge would have been was words, hot air from a buffoon, but instead Marty had let Buford rile him into playing his game, his way and by his rules. After Marty tried to assure Seamus that he knew what he was doing, Maggie remarked that he was reminding her of poor Martin, which Seamus agreed with. Confused, Marty asked them who Martin was, to which Seamus answered that he was his brother. Surprised, Marty asked Seamus if he really had a brother named Martin McFly, prompting Seamus to clarify that his brother was no longer alive. Seamus explained that Martin used to let men
provoke him into fighting, concerned that people would think him a coward if he refused, which eventually resulted in him getting a bowie knife shoved through his belly in a saloon in Virginia City. After lamenting how his brother had never considered the future, Seamus walked away. Turning to Marty, Maggie remarked that she hoped that Marty was considering the future and then followed after Seamus. Looking at Seamus and Maggie as they walked off, Marty remarked that he thought about it all the time.

Final Preparations

Marty trying out his new Colt Peacemaker in front of a mirror in Doc's livery stable.

The following morning, Marty, upon waking up, discovered that Doc had not returned from bringing Clara home last night, which prompted him to remark that he hoped that Doc knew what he was doing. Noticing his new Colt Peacemaker and gun belt lying on the table, Marty picked them up and practiced in front of a mirror. After getting dressed and walking around town, Marty was greeted by various people. After being given a cigar by a townsperson, Marty was approached by the undertaker, Mr. Phipps, who offered him a new suit for tomorrow, which Marty declined.

Seeing Doc in the distance, Marty approached him and asked what he was doing, towhich Doc replied that he was just out enjoying the morning air, asking Marty if he agreed that it was lovely there in the morning. After agreeing that it was lovely, Marty told Doc that they had load the DeLorean and get ready to roll. At that moment, Marty noticed the tombstone upon which Doc's name would have been engraved in front of a shop. Approaching it, Doc asked Marty to see the photograph again, which Marty then handed to him. Looking at the photograph, Doc discovered that his name had vanished, which prompted Marty to state that it was great and remark that, since they were going to the future tomorrow, everything was being erased. However, Doc pointed out that only his name had been erased, the tombstone itself and the date still remained. After remarking that it did not make sense, Doc explained that they knew that the photograph represented what would happen if the events of that day continued to run their course into tomorrow. When Marty asked Doc what he was getting at, he was suddenly approached by Mr. Phipps, who started taking his measurements with a measuring tape. Marty stated that he did not want to buy a suit, to which Mr. Phipps replied that the measurements were for his coffin, which stunned Marty. Mr. Phipps then clarified that the odds were running two to one against him and that they might as well be prepared. After Mr. Phipps walked away, Doc stated that it may not have been his name that was supposed to end up on the tombstone, but Marty's name instead.

As they continued walking, Doc noticed Marty's gun and asked him why he was wearing it and whether he was considering going up against Tannen tomorrow. Marty replied that he intended to go back to the future with Doc tomorrow morning and was wearing the gun in order to be ready in case Buford Tannen came looking for trouble. When Marty remarked on what Buford called him last night, Doc chastised Marty by stating that he could not go lose his judgment every time someone called him a name and remarked that it was exactly what caused him to get into an accident in
the future. Coming to a halt and turning to face Doc, Marty asked Doc what he meant about his future, to which Doc replied that he could not tell him, remarking that it might make things worse. When Marty demanded to know what was wrong with his future, Doc stated that they all had to make decisions which affected the course of their lives, remarking that Marty had to do what he had to do and that he himself had to do what he had to. As Doc left, Marty stared ahead, unsure of himself.

That night, as they were preparing to load the DeLorean onto the tracks, Doc approached Marty and informed him of his decision to not go with him tomorrow and instead remain in 1885. Standing up, Marty asked Doc what he was talking about. Doc replied that there was no point in denying him being in love with Clara. However, Marty insisted that neither of them belonged there and pointed out that the tombstone could still be in his future. Doc, however, stated that the future was not written and could be changed, pointing out that Marty knew that from experience. He continued by stating that anyone could make their future whatever they wanted it to be and that he could not let one little photograph determine his entire destiny. He then concluded by stating he had to live his life according to what he believed was right in his heart. Marty responded by pointing out that Doc was a scientist and, as such, asked him what the right thing to do was according to his mind. After putting his lantern away and looking at the photograph of his tombstone, Doc consented that Marty was right, much to Marty's relief. After giving the photograph back to Marty, Doc pulled the lever which released the DeLorean, allowing it to slowly roll onto the tracks. After Marty remarked on their accomplishment of loading the DeLorean onto the tracks, Doc stated that he had to at least tell Clara goodbye. Marty objected to the idea, asking Doc what he was even going to say and stating that she would not understand. Marty then remarked that, even though he was in it with Doc, he himself still did not understand it. After Doc walked past Marty and stood near the DeLorean with his back to him without saying anything, Marty suggested that, perhaps, they could take Clara with them. Turning to face Marty, Doc briefly considered the idea before dismissing it. As he approached Marty, Doc pointed out that Marty had reminded him that he was a scientist and therefore had to be scientific about it. Doc stated that he had cautioned Marty about disrupting the continuum for his own personal benefit, therefore he had to do no less. Doc concluded by stating that they would proceed as planned and, as soon as they returned to 1985, they would destroy the time machine. As Doc walked away, he remarked that traveling through time had become much too painful. Having set up a campfire, Marty eventually fell asleep while Doc continued staring into the campfire.

Duel with Buford Tannen

Marty and Chester looking at an unconscious Doc.

The following morning, Marty, upon waking up, tried to ask Doc what time it was, only to discover that Doc was no longer there. Noticing that Doc's horse was gone as well, Marty looked at the picture of the tombstone, which still displayed the same date. Running over to his horse, Marty rode to Doc's stable. Upon arriving and getting off of his horse, Marty entered the stable, but discovered that Doc was not there either. Exitting the stable, Marty noticed Doc's horse standing near the Palace Saloon. Looking through a window into the Saloon, Marty saw Doc, ran inside and asked him what he was doing. Doc stated that he had lost Clara and that there was nothing left for him there. Agreeing with him, Marty stated that that was why he had to come back to the future with him. Convinced by Marty, Doc told Chester and the old-timers that they had to excuse him as he and Marty had a train to catch. When the old-timers saluted Doc by raising their glasses, Doc responded in kind and, despite Chester's warning, drank the whiskey. After putting down his empty glass, Doc passed out onto the floor, knocking over a table as he fell. Kneeling beside him, Marty attempted to wake Doc up and asked Chester how many glasses of whiskey he had drunk. Chester informed Marty that Doc had only drunk the one glass, much to Marty's surprise. After asking Chester to get him black coffee, Marty heard the clock bell tolling, with the clock reading 7:45.

While trying to wake up Doc by pouring black coffee into his mouth, Marty was told by Chester that, if he wanted Doc to wake up in a hurry, he had to use something a lot stronger than coffee. Turning to Chester, Marty asked him what he was suggesting, which prompted Chester to tell his assistant, Joey, to make some "wake-up juice". After mixing the drink, Chester remarked that Doc would be "as sober as a priest on Sunday" in about ten minutes. Looking at the clock, which read 7:50, Marty lamented his and Doc's tendency to cut those things so close. Marty was then approached by Chester, who instructed him to stick a clothespin on Doc's nose. After doing so, Marty put a funnel into Doc's mouth and was instructed by Chester to pour the drink down his throat and to stand back afterwards. As Marty poured the drink down Doc's throat, Doc woke up and ran outside. Running after him, Marty and Chester found Doc with his head dunked in the horse trough. As they lifted him out of the water and started dragging him back into the Saloon, Marty remarked that Doc was still out, which prompted Chester to clarify that that was just a reflex action and that it was going to take a few more minutes for the stuff to really clear up his head, much to Marty's dismay.

Marty about to reluctantly pour "wake-up juice" into Doc's mouth.

As they continued trying to wake up Doc, Marty and Chester noticed that Seamus had walked into the Saloon. When Chester remarked that he had not expected to see him that morning, Seamus explained that something inside him told him he had to be there, remarking that it was as if his future had something to do with it. Shortly after, at 7:55, Buford arrived, accompanied by his gang, and started calling Marty out. Marty pointed out that it was not 8 o'clock yet, but Buford replied that it was by his watch and demanded that they settled it once and for all, accusing Marty of being a coward if he refused. Looking at the photograph of the tombstone, Marty saw his alias appear on it. Realizing that he would die if he fought Buford, Marty stated that he was not feeling up to it and was forfeiting. After consulting one of his gang members for the meaning of the word, Buford declared that Marty could not do that. Buford then stated that he thought that Marty was nothing but a gutless yellow turn and was giving him to the count of ten to come outside and prove him wrong. As Buford started counting, Marty turned to Doc and continued trying to wake him up. At that moment, the Saloon old-timers tried to goad Marty into facing Buford, Levi stating that he had bet 20 dollar gold on him whilst Zeke had bet 30 dollar gold against him. When Jeb started saying that Marty better face up to it, Marty demanded to know what exactly would happen if he did not go out there. A man with an eyepatch replied that Marty would be a coward and a toothless man added that he would be branded a coward for the rest of his days. Jeb finished by stating that everybody everywhere would say that "Clint Eastwood" was the biggest yellow belly in the west. At that moment, a gunslinger slid a pistol down the bar for Marty. Picking it up, Marty stated that he already had a gun. After Buford finished counting to ten and called Marty a gutless yellow pie-slinger, Marty finally managed to overcome his complex and declared that he did not care what Buford or anybody else said about him.

At that moment, Doc jumped to his feet, having finally regained consciousness and suffering from a headache. Marty asked Chester if the Saloon had a back door, to which Chester answered that he had one in the back. Upon hearing this, Marty and Doc headed for the back door. As they exitted the back door and started climbing down stairs in an alleyway, Doc remarked that the thing he really missed there was Tylenol. Unfortunately, they were then spotted by one of the gang members, Ceegar, who, joined by Buck, began shooting at them. While Doc hid behind two barrels, Marty ran through a side door into the Cabinet Maker shop and bumped into a stove, accidentally dislodging the stove plate. Looking through a window, Marty saw Doc being taken hostage by Buford and his gang, with Buford threatening to shoot him if Marty did not show up. After Doc insisted that Marty forget about him and save himself, Buford took his watch and stated that Marty had one minute to decide.

Marty facing off against Buford Tannen.

Fortunately, Marty managed to come up with a plan, attaching the dislodged stove plate to his chest in order to use it as a makeshift bulletproof vest, which he then hid under his shirt. After the minute was up, Marty emerged from the shop as Buford took aim at Doc. As the two assumed their positions for a gun duel, Buford demanded that Marty draw his gun, which Marty refused, much to Buford's confusion. Marty then removed his gun and belt and dropped them to the ground, stating that he thought that they could settle this like men. However, Buford replied that Marty had thought wrong and shot him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. After Buford approached Marty in order to make he was dead, Marty kicked Buford's gun out of his hand and stood back up. Bewildered, Buford punched Marty in the chest and hurt his hand. Removing his shirt, Marty revealed the stove plate he had used as a makeshift bulletproof vest. As Marty detached the stove plate, Buford charged at him, prompting to Marty to hit him with the plate and knock him to the ground. Dropping the plate on the ground, Marty appraoched Buford, who had gotten back on his feet, and proceeded to punch him several times, eventually knocking him into the tombstone from the photograph, breaking it. After Buford barely managed to stnd up again, Marty punched him one more time, causing the unconscious Buford to collapse into a wheelbarrow filled with manure.

Shortly after, Marshal Strickland's deputy arrived and arrested Buford for robbing the Pine City Stage as well as sending two officers to chase down Buford's gang, who had fled when they saw the deputy arriving. At that moment, Doc pointed at the broken tombstone. Looking at the photograph, Marty and Doc saw the tombstone in the picture vanish completely, much to their joy. However, they then heard the train whistle blowing, indicating that the train was leaving. Marty asked Doc whether they could make it, to which Doc replied they had to cut it off at Coyote Pass. As they got on their horses, a little boy ran up to Marty and handed him his gun and belt, which Marty thanked him for. Noticing Seamus standing in front of the Saloon, Marty threw the gun and belt towards him, stating that it was worth twelve dollars and had never been used. After Seamus remarked that maybe he could trade it for a new hat, Marty told him to take care of his baby, which Seamus promised he would, before departing with Doc.

Train Ride to the Future

Marty and Doc holding up Locomotive 131 for a "science experiment".

After barely catching up to the train and managing to get on to the back cabin, Marty and Doc ran over the roofs of the cabins to the front of the train. Upon reaching the front of the train, Marty and Doc tied bandanas over their mouths to serve as masks and climbed over a train car filled with logs and into the engineer's car. After Doc pointed his gun at the engineer, the man asked them if it was a hold up, to which Doc replied that it was a "science experiment" and then told him to stop the train just before he hit the switch track up ahead. Once the train came to the halt, Marty ran outside, threw the switch track and signaled Doc. Doc then ordered the engineer and his assistant to uncouple the cars from the tender. After they had done so, Doc started the train up again while Marty climbed back inside. Doc then blew the train's whistle, cheerfully stating that he had wanted to do that all his life, much to Marty's amusement.

After the train was brought to a halt right behind the DeLorean, Marty was instructed by Doc to climb down and hand him three cylindrical, cloth-covered packages that Doc had stashed in the DeLorean the day before. Upon grabbing them from the car, Marty asked Doc what they were. Doc explained that they were his own version of presto logs, clarifying that they were compressed wood with anthracite dust chemically treated to burn hotter and longer and that he used them in his forge so that he did not have to stoke it. Doc further explained those three logs in the furnace would ignite sequentially, make the fire burn hotter, kick up the boiler pressure and make the train go faster.

Once the train was prepared, Marty climbed into the DeLorean and, as he closed the DeLorean's door, told Doc through the walkie talkie that they were ready to roll, which prompted Doc to start up the train and push the DeLorean. As they gained speed, Marty was asked by Doc through the walkie talkie whether the time circuits were on. After turning them on, Marty was instructed to set the destination time for October 27, 1985 at 11 AM. After inputting the date, Marty informed Doc that they were cruising at a steady 25 mph, to which Doc responded by stating that he was throwing in the presto logs. Afterwards, Doc informed that the new gauge on the dashboard would tell them the boiler temperature and was color-coded green, yellow and red to indicate when each log would fire. Doc further explained that each detonation would be accompanied by a sudden burst of acceleration and that, hopefully, they would hit 88 mph before the needle got much past 2000. Marty then asked what would happen after it hit 2000, to which Doc answered that the whole boiler would explode.

Shortly afterwards, the green log exploded, accelerating the train. Once Marty informed Doc that the train was going past 35, Doc replied that he was coming onboard. As Doc was making his way across the train towards the DeLorean, Marty looked at the gauge and saw that the yellow log was about to blow, which prompted him to tell Doc to hold onto something. After the detonation, Marty informed Doc that the train had just passed 40. When Doc had made his way to the front of the train, Marty opened the passenger side gullwing door and informed Doc that they had just passed 45 and to go for it. However, shortly after the train passed 50, Marty and Doc heard the train whistle being blown. Asking Doc what was happening, Marty was informed by him that Clara was one the train, much to Marty's dismay. After Doc told Marty that Clara was in the cab and that he was going back for her, Marty noticed the windmill which represented the "Point of No Return" and informed Doc that they were passing it while going past 50 and that he would never make it. Doc replied by stating that, in that case, they were going to have to take her back with them and instructed Marty to keep calling out the speed.

Marty holding the hoverboard for Doc to catch.

However, as Doc and Clara were about to reach each another, Marty informed Doc that the red log was about to blow. Despite Marty's warning, the resulting explosion resulted in Doc hanging from the train by holding onto a dislocated pipe while Clara ended up hanging upside down with her dress ripping. Fortunately, Marty, upon looking at his hoverboard, came up with a plan. After informing Doc that he was going to slip him the hoverboard, Marty held the board above the tracks. However, he was then warned by Doc to watch out. Turning around, Marty saw a wooden sign which stated that the road ended after a quarter mile up ahead, which prompted Marty to duck back into the car. After the sign was destroyed by the car, Marty called out to Doc, asking him if he was ready. When Doc nodded that he was ready, Marty released the hoverboard, which Doc managed to catch with his foot, much to Marty's delight.

The DeLorean, with Marty inside, entering temporal displacement in 1885 at the edge of Shonash Ravine.

Marty then watched as Doc successfully managed to pick up Clara as she was about to fall. However, instead of returning to the DeLorean, Doc and Clara floated off into the distance. Realizing that he was about to reach the end of the line, Marty closed the gullwing door and prepared himself as the DeLorean entered temporal displacement at the last second right before it would have hit the wooden "End of Track" barrier.

Home At Last

Destruction of the DeLorean

Marty jumping out of the DeLorean shortly before a diesel locomotive smashed into it.

Arriving on October 27, 1985, Marty emerged on the train tracks and coasted safely on the completed bridge across the ravine, which, in this new timeline, was called "Eastwood Ravine". Shortly after the DeLorean coasted past a railroad crossing and came to a stop, Marty noticed a diesel locomotive headed his way. Fortunately, Marty managed to open the door and jump out of the DeLorean moments before the diesel locomotive smashed into it, totaling the car. After the locomotive had passed, Marty walked among the wreckage and remarked that the DeLorean had been destroyed, just like Doc wanted.

Making his way back to Lyon Estates, Marty encountered Biff in his garage, not recognizing him at first, Biff told Marty to get away from the truck, to which Marty responded by telling him to back off. However, upon recognizing Marty, Biff apologized and explained that he was putting on a second coat on Marty's truck. At that moment, Marty's family emerged from the house, preparing to leave for brunch. Marty was then asked by his mother what was wrong, as they thought he had gone to the lake. Happy that his family was back to normal, Marty stated that he had to go and get Jennifer. After getting into his truck and thanking Biff for his compliment about Marty's hat, Marty drove to Jennifer's house.

Changing the Future

Upon arriving at Jennifer's house, Marty saw that, as Doc had predicted, Jennifer was still lying asleep on the porch swing. Approaching Jennifer, Marty woke her up with a kiss. After hugging him, Jennifer told Marty that she had had "the worst nightmare". Afterwards, the two went inside his truck and Marty began to drive back towards the railroad crossing where the DeLorean was destroyed.

Marty and Jennifer at the entrance of Hilldale.

On the way to the railroad crossing, the two came to a halt at a red traffic light near the entrance of Hilldale and Jennifer informed Marty of what she had seen of their future lives in 2015, still believing it to have been a dream. When Marty questioned her on what she meant by him getting fired, Marty noticed the Hilldale sign and remarked that it was where they lived, before correcting himself by saying that it was where they were going to live someday. However, when Jennifer became suspicious and asked him whether it really was a dream, their conversation was interrupted by Needles and his gang, who drove up beside them in his Ford F-150. After complimenting Marty's truck, Needles suggested having a drag race once the traffic light turned green. Marty initially refused, but seemingly accepted Needles' challenge, much to Jennifer's objection, when Needles goaded him by calling Marty a chicken. However, when the light turned green, it was revealed that Marty had shifted the car into reverse, speeding backwards as Needles took off. After coming to halt, Jennifer asked Marty if he had done that on purpose, to which Marty replied that he had, remarking that he was not stupid enough to race Needles. At that moment, they saw Needles' truck nearly collide with a Rolls-Royce, prompting Marty to remark that, had he accepted Needles' challenge, he would have hit that car. Realizing something, Jennifer pulled out a fax paper with the words "YOU'RE FIRED!!!" on the company letterhead. After the words on the paper disappeared in front of their eyes, Jennifer exclaimed that it was erased, much to Marty's puzzlement.

Reunion with Doc

Marty and Jennifer talking with Doc.

Upon returning to the DeLorean's wreckage, Marty discovered Doc's photograph in the wreckage, although it had been burnt down the middle. Believing that Doc would be lost in time forever, Marty told Jennifer that he would miss him. However, at that moment, the gates of the nearby railroad crossing were triggered as if another train was coming. Suddenly, Marty and Jennifer were knocked back by a sonic boom caused by the arrival of time traveling steam locomotive. When the locomotive came to a halt, Doc looked out from one of the windows, much to Marty and Jennifer's joy, and explained that the locomotive ran on steam. After Doc opened the cabin door, he and Clara introduced Marty and Jennifer to their sons, Jules and Verne Brown. After Marty stated that he thought he would never see him again, Doc replied that he had to come back for Einstein and did not wish for Marty to be worried about him. Marty was then given a souvenir by Doc: a framed picture of them together in front of the Courthouse clock in 1885.

Marty and Jennifer watching as the Time Train departed.

Jennifer then told Doc about the how the words on the fax from the future had been erased, to which Doc replied that nobody's future was written yet and that they should make the best of it, to which Marty promised that they would. Doc then told Marty and Jennifer to stand back, as he closed the cabin and prepared to depart with his family. Marty asked Doc whether he was planning to go back to the future, to which Doc replied that he wasn't, as he had already been there. Marty and Jennifer then watched as the train lifted off the tracks and disappeared in a flash of light to parts unknown.

Note: The following section is considered non-canon or is disputed in canonicity.

Continuum Conundrum

An Alarming Letter

In the months that followed, Marty grew bored with his normal life, missing Doc and the adventures they had together. On March 3, 1986, Marty was woken up by his mother, who told him he was late for breakfast. At the breakfast table, Marty was teased by Linda, who was starting class to get a Master of Business Administration as she wanted to open her own beauty salon, who told him that she got the looks and brains in the family while Marty only got the truck.[13]

Angrily, Marty said that he had to go as he was running late. As he left, Dave stated that Marty's problem was that he had to figure out what he was doing, as the future was gonna catch up to him, and he'd have to get on with life. Once outside of his house, Marty saw Biff Tannen washing his truck. Marty told him that he was not going to drive his truck. He then asked him if he ever felt that his greatest days were behind him, and Biff stated that he felt that way every single day.[13]

Upon arriving at school, Marty was approached by Needles, who was trying to egg him on, but then quickly gave up once he saw Marty's sour look, remarking that Marty was no fun anymore. At that moment, Jennifer arrived, agreeing with Needles, and was upset with Marty, as he was supposed to pick her up. Marty explained that he did not consider driving the truck to be exciting anymore, which resulted in him and Jennifer arguing about his inability to move on. Marty stated that Jennifer did not understand what it was like and had not seen what he had, but she simply told him that she was not even sure that he knew what it was like, and wondered if he had just read too many of his father's books. Marty pleaded with Jennifer to not be that way, as she was also there and was the only one he could talk to about what happened, but she stated that even she could not tell if he was making some of it up.[13]

At a playground, Marty regaled a group of children by telling them how he survived being shot by Buford Tannen by wearing a makeshift bulletproof vest. However, the children's parents then hurried them away from him, with the mother of one of the boys admonishing him and asking if he was not a little old to be telling cowboy stories. Dejected and alone, Marty wondered whether he really was.[13]

When he got back home, Marty overheard his father talking to his agent about Robert Zemeckis, who wanted to turn George's novel, A Match Made in Space, into a movie. George stated that he did not feel that the man who directed Romancing the Stone was the right person to tell his story, stating that it was pretty personal to him, which prompted Marty to mildly object, as he liked that movie. After telling his father that he understood his reservations, Marty told his parents that he was gonna lie down. His mother objected, as it was dinnertime, but Marty simply said that he was not hungry. This caused his parents to become concerned, as they realized that he had not been his usual happy self since Doc Brown moved away. When Marty overheard his mother wondering if he needed therapy, he remarked, under his breath, that what he needed was a sign that Doc was still out there.[13]

Later, during history class, Marty's history teacher was interrupted by a man from the Western Union, who had a note instructed to be delivered to Marty McFly, at a location with the highest attainable level of education prior to university, on the first Monday of March, 1986. The teacher gave Marty the note after telling him to restrict his mail deliveries to his home address. Marty then read the letter, discovering that it was written by Clara in 1893. In the letter, Clara informed him that Doc had traveled to an unknown point in the future and never returned and that she hoped that Marty might have some way of finding him.[13]

Marty quickly made his way to Jennifer, who was complaining about his earlier behaviour towards her to her two friends, Tiffany and Michelle. Marty then apologized to Jennifer, saying he owed her big time, before urging her to come with him and showing her the letter.[13]

In the car, when Jennifer expressed confusion at the letter, remarking that both she and Marty had seen Doc and Clara and their kids six months earlier, Marty pointed out that time travel was complicated. He stated that there was no way of knowing if Clara sent the letter before or after their family had stopped in 1985. Marty elaborated that if it was after, then Doc was in trouble and needed him. But if it was before, then the whole space-time continuum could be in jeopardy.[13]

The two drove to Doc's garage, but it was sealed up and there was nothing there anymore. Jennifer then mentioned that if Marty never saw the DeLorean time machine before it arrived at the mall parking lot, then Doc must have built it in a second lab.[13]

They headed to the Hill Valley Hall of Records and asked Goldie Wilson Jr. for help. Unfortunately, he told them that he was unable to find any other properties registered under Doc's name. After Marty had a brief conversation with Goldie Jr. regarding his father, Jennifer asked if there was anything else he could do, as Doc was close to Marty, and told him that she was sure that he knew what it was like when work took someone away from them. This made Goldie Jr. sympathetic, and he suggested that it was possible that Doc could have registered the property under a different name.[13]

It turned out that Doc registered the lab under his birth name, Von Braun. The two arrived at Doc's secret lab and Marty used the same tricks he used on the keypad and sign to get into the lab when he first met Doc back in 1982, much to Jennifer's surprise. Marty then asked Jennifer to boost him into the window, as there was no trash can to stand on. Once he got in, Marty unlocked and opened the garage door for Jennifer. Inside, the two saw many of Doc's previous inventions including the temporal field capacitor and a second DeLorean without a flux capacitor. As they explored the lab, Marty cautioned Jennifer not to touch anything, as Doc always warned him about, before pressing a button on an unknown machine that he had never seen before. Jennifer then remarked that, as much stuff as there was, there was nothing that would help.[13]

Marty then decided to write a letter to Doc, letting him know that they were looking for him and when they were at the lab, allowing him to meet them half way. At the moment that Marty hid the letter inside a cardboard tube, he and Jennifer heard a crash in the lab. They went to investigate and found a man in a diving suit, who then got caught in Doc's net trap. Jennifer intended to hit the man with a pipe, but Marty stopped her, saying that this could be a clue. The man then took off his helmet and revealed himself to be Doc. However, he had no idea of when or where he had arrived, and he did not recognize Marty or Jennifer.[13]

Retrieving the steam time car

Confused by Doc's statement, Marty attempted to remind him of who they were, but Doc reiterated that he had never seen either of them before and asked why they had ensnared him in a net. Taking Jennifer aside, the two discussed the situation. Jennifer asked Marty how he could know that that was his Doc, which prompted Marty to remind her that Doc had a treatment in 2015, which made him look younger. However, Marty then noted that Doc also looked like that in the fifties and remarked that the reason he did not recognize them might have been because he had not met them yet. After Jennifer suggested that that Doc was from another universe, Marty jokingly decided to test that theory by asking Doc what year it was.[14]

Upon realizing that he did not know what year it was, Doc remarked that it was odd. This convinced Marty that it really was Doc, remarking that nobody else would react like that. While Marty and Jennifer were releasing him from the net trap, Doc reacted with confusion at his nickname, asking them if they thought he was some sort of doctor. Upon releasing Doc from the net trap, which caused him to fall onto the ground, Marty asked Doc who he believed himself to be, to which Doc replied that, based on his diving suit, he might have been some kind of deep sea diver. Marty then pleaded with Doc help them out, asking him why he had come there and why he was wearing a diving suit.[14]

Attempting to remember what had happened to him, Doc managed to vaguely recall being chased by "men in black" and trying to get back to where he was, but it was all different. After Doc asked Marty why he could not remember anything, Marty assured him was going to be okay and that they would figure it out. However, after Jennifer remarked on how ominous "men in black" sounded, the three of them heard police sirens approaching, which prompted Marty to remark that it must have been some kind of alarm. After Marty stated that they had to go, Jennifer pointed out to him that they would look pretty suspicious running to his truck, to which Marty replied that he was not talking about his truck.[14]

After Marty, Jennifer and Doc got inside of the DeLorean, Marty crashed the car through the front doors of the lab and past the police cars. Caught up in his excitement, Marty accelerated the car past 85 mph. Fortunately, Jennifer and Doc yelled at Marty to slow down and managed to bring him back to his senses, causing him to bring the car to a halt in front of the Courthouse. When Marty remarked that they got away, Jennifer pointed out that they had run from the police. Jennifer then asked Marty why he was okay with that, to which Marty replied that it "felt right". This prompted Jennifer to point at Doc and ask Marty what felt right about Doc's situation.[14]

Later that evening, Marty, Jennifer and Doc went to Marty's house in order to provide Doc with a pair of clothes, as Doc was not wearing anything under his diving suit. Marty was asked by Jennifer whether the police would impound his truck, to which he replied that they would not, as he had simply parked it on the street. As they snuck into the house, the three overheard George and Lorraine discussing Marty's behaviour, with George suggesting that they could ask Betty, Jennifer's mother, to recommend a therapist for him, although Lorraine questioned him on why Betty, who was not crazy, would know who Marty should see. Getting a stern look from Jennifer, Marty told her to just ignore them. Upon to getting to his parents' bedroom, Marty told Doc to put on some clothes from George's closet. After turning around to give Doc some privacy, Jennifer told Marty that his parents were worried about him, which prompted Marty to point out that he was a teenager and, as such, his parents were supposed to be worried about him. However, when Doc removed his diving suit, it loudly fell onto the ground, alerting Marty's parents. Fortunately, the three managed to flee through the window without being seen, with Doc holding a pair of George's clothes and Marty carrying the diving suit.[14]

At a playground, Doc put on George's clothes and asked Marty whether he had tied his tie correctly, to which Marty replied that Doc, being a genius, could tie a tie. At the mention of the word "genius", Doc remembered Einstein and stated that they had to get him, which prompted Marty to inform Doc that he had already gotten Einstein six months earlier. When Doc asked where Einstein was, Marty admitted that he did not know whereas Jennifer stated that he was with Clara, which prompted Doc to ask who Clara was, much to Marty and Jennifer's concern. After assuring Doc that they would find Einstein, Jennifer chastised Marty and told him to so happy, as Doc and possibly Einstein's lives were at stake. Marty replied by telling Jennifer that he had been through that a couple times and knew what he was doing.[14]

When Jennifer questioned him on what they were doing, Marty suggested that they thought it through, like Doc would. Taking note of Doc's appearance, Marty stated that he was either from after the rejuvination procedure of from the 1950s. However, Doc also remembered Einstein, whereas, if he was from the fifties, he would have talked about Copernicus instead. Jennifer then suggested that Doc was from another dimension, although Marty was skeptical of that idea. Agreeing that it was the Doc from 1985, Jennifer noted that he knew where his secret lab was and had mentioned crashing some kind of car on his way. Marty then asked Doc if he could remember where he had crashed, to which Doc replied that he did.[14]

Marty, Jennifer, and Doc arriving at the crash site of Doc's car.

However, upon arriving at the T-junction where Doc had crashed the car into a STOP sign, the three discovered that the car was no longer there and found a company flyer which revealed that it had been towed by Lee Bros. Towing & Repair. When Jennifer suggested that they go retrieve the car, Marty stated that the police would probably come after them if they showed up looking or it. However, Jennifer pointed out that the police probably would not care because, as far as they knew, it was just an abandoned car. Jennifer then said to leave the matter to her, prompting Marty to ask her what she was going to do, to which Jennifer replied by telling him to trust her.[14]

First trip to 1931

Protecting Doc's Legacy

Marty McFly in Doc's garage.

In the months following Doc's disappearance, his residence had come up for estate sale. Despite Marty's insistence that Doc was still alive, he could not prevent the estate sale from happening. On May 14, 1986, Marty woke up from a dream in which he relived the night of the world's first temporal displacement, except that, in the dream, the Delorean (with Einstein) did not return and Doc seemingly faded from existence shortly after. After waking up, Marty was reminded by his mother that his father was waiting for him at Doc's residence. Realizing he was late, Marty quickly got out of bed and left.[15]

Arriving at Doc's place, Marty was disappointed to discover that the sale still continuing and that his father was heading it. Marty once more insisted that Doc was still alive and that the city had no right to sell off his stuff, but his father replied that Doc had been gone for months and that the city really seemed hell-bent on using his land for a new parking garage. After remarking that it just was not fair, Marty was further annoyed to discover that Biff Tannen was at the estate sale as well.[15]

While wandering through the garage and reminiscing about Doc's inventions, Marty discovered Doc's notebook hidden inside the model of the Courthouse in Doc's demonstration model. However, the model Courthouse was then picked up by Biff, who intended to put it inside his fish tank. Unable to convince Biff to give it back, Marty tried to take it from him. Unfortunately, their brief struggle caused the Courthouse roof to open, revealing the notebook to Biff. Although he was unable to understand the notebook's contents, Biff still refused to give the notebook to Marty.[15]

Fortunately, Marty managed to trick Biff by using the amplifier, which he had repaired and upgraded, sending him across the room and allowing Marty to retrieve the notebook.[15]

Getting a Date

At that moment, Marty heard the familiar sound of a time machine appearing outside of the garage. Once outside, Marty saw what appeared to be the Delorean time machine. Opening the door, Marty was greeted by Einstein and wondered where Doc was. Marty then entered the vehicle and found a tape recorder left behind by Doc. In the recording, Doc explained that he had programmed an automatic retrieval feature into this Delorean that would automatically send it to Marty's four-dimensional coordinates if he did not return to it within an alloted time. The recording further instructed him to simply go to the date specified on the time circuit readout marked "Last Time Departed". However, upon turning the time circuits on, Marty discovered that the "Last Time Departed" readout was malfunctioning, unable to display the time from which the Delorean had traveled.[15]

Finding a mysterious shoe inside of the Delorean, Marty exitted the car and had Einstein sniff it, which, to Marty's surprise, allowed Einstein to start tracking down the original owner.[15]

Marty was led by Einstein to an apartment building outside Courthouse Square. Going up to the buzzer panel, Marty saw that one of the residents listed was "E Strickland". Ringing the buzzer, he was surprised to hear an elderly woman yell at him out of her window to step away from the door and let her get a good look at him. Marty asked the woman if she was related to his vice principal, to which she answered that she was his sister, Edna. Marty then showed Edna the shoe and she let him in.[15]

Upon entering the apartment, Marty was instructed by Edna to put down the shoe next to the other, much older looking one. Marty also discovered that Edna's apartment was filled with every issue of the Hill Valley Telegraph, from 1871 to the present, in pristine condition and meticulously organized. Afterwards, Marty questioned Edna on when she lost her shoe and was told that it happened on the day the Hill Valley speakeasy burned down, although she was seemingly unsure of the date on which it happened. Marty then asked her where the speakingeasy was located and, after a brief tirade about how Marty's generation did not care about history, Edna told him that the speakeasy stood on a plot of land that was now occupied by Valley Video, a video rental store.[15]

Using Edna's binoculars, Marty looked at Valley Video and saw a plaque which stated that the existing structure was rebuilt in February, 1932, indicating that the speakeasy fire must have happened sometime before then. Remarking that Edna kept the temperature hot in her apartment, Marty turned the valve on her radiator, which produced a sound similar to a boiling kettle. Confusing the sound of her teapot with the radiator, Edna went into the kitchen, allowing Marty to sift through her newspapers. After a brief search, Marty found a newspaper containing an article which mentioned that a drifter known as "Carl Sagan", who was the prime suspect in the speakeasy arson case, was killed by a mob as revenge for his suspected involvement. Turning the newspaper around, Marty discovered that "Carl Sagan" was really Doc and then read that the date on which he died was June 14, 1931. Determined to rescue Doc, Marty accidentally knocked over Edna's newspaper stack and was subsequently chased out of the apartment by an angry Edna.[15]

Although Jennifer did not wish to accompany Marty on his trip, she still helped him out by providing him with a pair of her father's old clothes that would allow him to remain inconspicuous in 1931.[16] As Marty was refueling Mr. Fusion for his trip, he was called over by his father, who asked him where he had been and what he was doing in his new getup. After struggling to tell a convincing lie, Marty was assured by George that he didn't have to explain, stating that he was sure that whatever it was that Marty was up to, he knew what he was doing. Marty then expressed doubt as to whether he really knew what he was doing, but was further assured by George that sometimes he had to go out on a limb for the ones he loved, lamenting that he wished his own father had understood that. Upon being asked if he was wouldn't stay away too long, Marty assured his father that he would barely know he was gone and then entered the Delorean with Einstein.[15]

After getting inside the vehicle and turning the time circuits and flux capacitor on, Marty decided that, since Doc was going to be killed on June 14, he was going to show up the day before and bust him out. After setting the date to June 13, 1931, Marty drove outside of the city limits and accelerated to 88.[15]

1986B

The Marty McFly of 1986B attended a Math and Magic Competition at the lake in May of that year, while Marty from the original timeline was taking his place. The 1986B Marty also used to date Jennifer but she left him for Leech. The 1986 Marty won back Jennifer afterwards during a guitar battle with Leech.

1990s

Marty in the animated series

Marty and Jennifer ended up at Hill Valley College after graduating from the high school. Marty spent a lot of time visiting the Brown house where Doc, Clara and their sons lived. He accompanied the family on many of their time travel adventures.

Marty still had his "chicken" problem, as seen when Bifficus Antanneny taunted Marty into a chariot race by calling him a "pullus", the Latin word for "chicken". But he still backed down, when Doc informed him that he has to lose the race, so the fall of Bifficus Antanneny's empire will succeed. Marty did lose and the fall of Antanneny succeeded as planned.

Alternate Timelines

Original Timeline

While in the future, his girlfriend Jennifer Parker discovered that in 1985, the day after he arrived back from 1955, Marty was involved in a car accident after auto racing a classmate, Douglas J. Needles, on a "chicken" dare. Marty broke his hand and was sued by the driver of the Rolls-Royce he crashed into. He had to give up a career in music and spent many years feeling sorry for himself. He married Jennifer in the 1990s in the Chapel O' Love, and his parents were the only witnesses. The couple had two kids — daughter Marlene, and son Martin Jr. (born 1998). By 2015, Marty and Jennifer were living in Hilldale, a planned community established in 1985 which had deteriorated over the last 30 years in similar fashion as Lyon Estates had between 1955 and 1985. They were having marriage difficulties, and Marty was stuck in a dead end job at CusCo, where his co-worker was his former classmate Needles, who pressured Marty into unwise decisions, much like the way George McFly was bullied by his supervisor, Biff Tannen, in the original 1985.

Marty McFly, aged 47, in 2015.

The 1985 version of Marty, visiting 2015, does not find out any of this, but the 1985 Jennifer. This future version of Marty fell victim to another "chicken" dare from Needles, who convinced Marty to go along with some shady in-company deal. However, the supervisor above Needles, Ito T. Fujitsu, or "The Jitz", had been listening in on the pair making the deal by video telephone, and fired Marty for cooperating with Needles (it is not clear what Needles' fate was as a result of this incident). The 1985 Jennifer did not witness all of this exchange, but did acquire a copy of a printout sheet with the words "YOU'RE FIRED!!!' on it, as every fax machine in the McFly residence printed out the phrase.

Legacy

By 2091, his music became famous to Elvis-like proportions, as there are Marty impersonators mimicking his act on stage. However, a quote from his great-granddaughter Marta ("If only my great-grandfather was still alive to see that his music continues on...") Marty's music did live on and become a great successful musician in the early 21st century. That is why he has his own Marty-like impersonators.

Three future versions of Marty from different alternate timelines.

Non-canon or disputable information ends here.

Personality and traits

Marty's typical sleeping position.

Marty was an easy going adolescent most of the time. In the first film, he had a bit of an attitude problem towards disregarding adults. However, Marty is well-intentioned, kind, loyal, music-loving teenager, He was not the best student academically but his grades were fairly good, although he did have a tendency to be late for school. This was not always his fault, however, as shown when Doc set all his clocks 25 minutes slow, causing Marty to arrive late for school. Marty is a very loyal guy, he is always sticks up for the little guy when he ask his help. He is also very loyal to Doc Brown, as a number of adults, including his parents, have said he's very dangerous to be around, but Marty knows that he really is not.

Marty played lead guitar with The Pinheads and liked listening to Huey Lewis and the News and Eddie Van Halen. He is also a talented skateboarder. Marty was also shown to be good at singing, as shown in his performance of "Johnny B. Goode" at the Enchantment Under The Sea Dance.

When faced with danger, Marty was always brave and could be very resourceful and clever. His only major character flaw was his persistent desire to show others that he wasn't a coward, which sometimes caused him to take unnecessary risks. He couldn't abide to be called "chicken", a trait he shares with James Dean's character Jim Stark from Rebel Without a Cause (coincidentally made in 1955). However, Marty realized that he doesn't need to constantly prove his bravery and avoids one of the greatest tragedies in his life, a collision with a Rolls-Royce that would have ruined his ability to play the guitar.

Relationships

George McFly

Marty has a strained relationship with George in the original 1985. Marty seems quite annoyed about the fact that George can't stick up for himself against Biff. Upon seeing the car being wrecked, Marty exclaims: "The car Dad, the car! Do you know who important this was for me? Do you have any clue?" And George can't reply trying to defend himself by saying: "Biff just happens to be my supervisor, and I'm just no good at... confrontations."

In 1955 their relationship is similar, with Marty getting exasperated at George outside the Lou's cafè saying: "Jesus George it was a wonder I was even born." But Marty learns something about his father he never knew. George writes science fiction stories, and when he asks to read some, George says: "What if they said I was no good? I don't think I could take that kind of a rejection" The exact words Marty said after his failed audition.

When George unlocks his confidence in knocking out Biff, Marty is amazed saying: "I never knew he had it in him he's never stood up to Biff in his life!" When Marty goes back to the future, George is a successful writer, and made a novel "A match made in space" inspired by the events in 1955.

Lorraine Baines

In the original 1985, Marty wasn't that close with his mom. He listened all the times she started talking about how she met George, and drinking and smoking her life away getting overeight. She openly disapproves of Jennifer, constantly telling Marty that when she was her age she never: "Called a boy, or sat in a parked car with a boy!" Presumably, this is why Marty isn't that close with his mom.

In 1955, Marty ends up in the guest bedroom of Lorraines house by"saving" George McFly from Sam Baines' car. Marty immediately notices how hot- THIN she is. "You're so ho...you're so ho..(gasp, gasp) thin!" Marty is immediately freaked out by his mothers continuous attempts to touch him sexually, and flirting. Marty then has dinner with the Baines' and confuses them with his words and actions. Lorraine doesn't seem to be deterred by his actions, finding Marty's mysteriousness very attractive and cute. When Lorraine squeases his thigh under the table Marty freaks out and leaves the house.

Marty is surprised to find out Lorraine is completely different than what he was told. Lorraine is very flirty with boys around her school and has parked in muiltiple cars with them. He is horrified when she tells him her mother knows she smokes and drinks. Not only that, when Lorraine becomes hopelessly in love with Marty and followes him home to Doc's house, this condradicts what she said in 1985. That girls should not chase boys because they are just asking for trouble.

When Marty comes back to 1985, Lorraine is totally different than her original 1985 self. She is much more fit, not overweight. She isn't an alcoholic, and doesn't smoke. She and George McFly are members of the tennis courts and play on a regular basis. Marty is a lot closer with his mom in this timeline, perhaps a little to close, considering the events in 1955. Lorraine approves of Jennifer and is excited about Marty going up to the lake.

Behind the scenes

Although Marty McFly is 17 years old as of October 25, 1985, his birthdate is not referred to in the film series. Novelty items, such as a California driver's license in Marty's name, often include a birthdate of "06-12-68" and an address "9303 Lyon Drive", neither of which is mentioned elsewhere. There are different versions of the "license" that have been manufactured, as can be seen on sites such as eBay. June is a logical choice for a novelty license, since the photo is of actor Michael J. Fox, who was born on June 9, 1961.

If Marty's birthday has ever been thought of at all, it was when Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis wrote an early draft for a sequel to Part I. In that script, Marty mentioned that his birthdate was June 20, 1968. The plot point became important when Marty traveled to September 20, 1967, nine months before his birthdate, and again put his existence in danger. As with Marty's middle name (which was "Hopkins", rather than "Seamus", in the draft script), the idea was dropped before filming.

Eric Stoltz was originally cast to play the role of Marty McFly. Fox was the first choice of Zemeckis and Gale, but was committed to NBC's hit television show, Family Ties. When the show's producer, Gary David Goldberg, was approached in 1984, he was not willing to let Fox appear in a movie while also shooting Family Ties. After Zemeckis and Gale had filmed a large portion of the scenes with Stoltz, and were not happy with the results, they approached Goldberg again. Goldberg agreed to let Fox work on both the show and the film at the same time, with the condition that the show had to come first.

A draft script for the first film states that a couple of years ago Doc turned up at Marty's garage one day and offered him $50 a week, plus free beer and use of his record collection, to clean his garage. This explanation is not accepted by most fans, however, as it contradicts the characterizations of Marty and Doc we see in the finished film. Co-writers Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale say they once considered expanding on their relationship, but decided against it, reasoning that children and adolescents are often attracted to eccentric or mysterious neighbors.

Ralph Macchio (actor known for his roles in The Outsiders and in the first three The Karate Kid movies) was turned down for the role of Marty.

In the Back to the Future novelization, Marty is trapped in detention with Mr. Strickland and devises a plan to escape to catch his band's audition. After Strickland destroys his Sony Walkman in a vise, he grabs a lens from a projector. Marty applies some gum to the back of a matchbook and shoots it up to a smoke alarm on the ceiling. He then focuses sunlight at the matchbook but is forced to hurry before Strickland closes all the blinds. Marty succeeds in igniting the matchbook and setting off the fire alarm and sprinkler system, escaping out the door to audition.

Appearances

Futurepedia has a collection of images and media related to Marty McFly.